Broken Sky
by Nimbus01
Summary: Nimbus had everything he'd ever wanted- a position as a cadet in one of the finest flight schools in Equestria: The Wonderbolts Academy. One mistake, and his entire dream came crashing down. Looking for a new start as an Aviator- an elite aerial defender of Equestria- Nimbus must face new challenges at the Royal Equestrian College of the Air. Can he learn from past mistakes?
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

The dry rasp the paper made as it was pushed across the polished oak desk cut through the silence, ringing in Nimbus's ears like an alarm bell. The orange and black Pegasus didn't dare look down at it as he held the position of attention in his Wonderbolts Cadet uniform. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, staring at the golden-yellow pony sitting on the other side of the desk, resplendent in her Wonderbolt dress uniform. She stared back, emotionless, until she finally spoke.

"I assume you know by now what this is, Cadet Nimbus?"

"Yes ma'am," the orange and black Pegasus responded, not moving. The Wonderbolt behind the desk sighed.

"Stand at ease, cadet, and look at that paper. Tell me what you see."

Nimbus loosened his legs and turned his gaze towards the paper. It was an orders sheet- he'd recognize the format anywhere- and as such, there wasn't much to see- mostly just official jargon. Two words stood out, however: below the main paragraph, the words "retain" and "disenroll" were written in large, bold font. "Disenroll" was circled with a red pen. Nimbus's heart sank.

"Ma'am, these are my official orders regarding my disenrollment from the Wonderbolt Academy."

The Wonderbolt nodded, standing up and walking around her desk to stand next to Nimbus. She sized him up briefly, searching for what to say next. Nimbus thought he could see something like sorrow in her eyes, but he didn't want to presume anything. He certainly wasn't in a position to do so.

"Your observation was spot-on," the Wonderbolt said at last, "I'd expect nothing less of a cadet. You realize by now, then, that the only reason you're talking to me right now is that you are going to leave the Academy. You made some mistakes, and you did not recover from them. This is not acceptable for a Wonderbolt. Can you tell me where you went wrong?"

Nimbus stared down the yellow Wonderbolt, almost choking. "Well, I… I, uh…"

"You failed the Dizzitron exam. Three times. As I recall, we have a three strikes and you're out policy, which is considerably generous. We gave you two chances to correct your mistakes and you did nothing. This alone is not terribly serious. We've disenrolled other cadets who simply didn't have the flying ability to pass, but do you recall taking your flying aptitude test before entering?"

Nimbus nodded as the Wonderbolt began to pace. "You passed the aptitude test with one of the highest scores we've ever seen here. On a scale of one to fifty, you achieved a forty-eight. That's near Wonderbolt material already, so when you fail three Dizzitrons in a row, I see a red flag going up. Someone with your abilities should be passing these with ease. My diagnosis- you were lazy, and you rested on your laurels. You figured you were already capable of taking whatever we could throw at you, and you didn't bother to prepare because of that. I'd wager that you didn't even read the chapter of your maneuvers book on how to recover from a Dizzitron spin, did you?"

Nimbus looked at the ground. He couldn't even bring himself to meet the Wonderbolt's eyes anymore. "No, ma'am, I did not."

"I thought so," the Wonderbolt continued. "Nimbus- I really don't want to be here talking to you right now. I want you out there with the rest of the cadets, flying around. When the decision was made to disenroll you, I fought for you. I wanted to give you another chance- a waiver maybe. I wanted you to be a Wonderbolt, but we can't change the past. Regardless of whether you've learned from your mistakes or not, these are the consequences you suffer." The yellow pony walked back to Nimbus, lowering her voice to a solemn tone. "At this point, you will turn in your Wonderbolt pin. Tradition dictates that I do this myself. I can't even imagine how painful this is going to be to you. Just… try to ignore it."

Nimbus gritted his teeth as the gleaming, metallic pin was removed from his uniform. Losing it was like losing a part of himself. He'd been stripped of everything he'd earned entering the Academy in one single moment. The pony placed the pin on her desk, then turned back to Nimbus.

"What are your plans now?" she asked simply.

"Major Spitfire, I will-"

"Please," the Wonderbolt cut him off, "you're not a Wonderbolt anymore. There's no reason to use the usual customs and courtesies. It's just 'Spitfire' now."

"Alright," Nimbus said, collecting himself, "well- I understand why I've failed, I think. My goal is the same, though. I want to fly in service to Equestria. I'm going to follow my backup plan- applying to the Royal Equestrian Air College."

Spitfire nodded. "I see. REAC is a good school. There's an Aviator Training School located there as well."

"Yes ma'am," Nimbus said, nodding, "and I'm going to apply for it."

"Then allow me to share some advice with you," Spitfire said, "here, at the Academy, you're guaranteed a place in the Royal Equestrian Air Force when you graduate. At REAC, that's not the same. It's an Aviator Training School, so you'll be competing with your classmates for slots. Being middle of the pack isn't good enough. You're really going to have to work to give them a reason to choose you over somepony else, especially with this disenrollment on your record."

"I understand," Nimbus said, "but I'm ready to try."

Spitfire shook her head. "Trying's not good enough. You need to be confident enough that once that year-long program is over, you _will _be an REAF Aviator."

"I will, ma'am," Nimbus said. Spitfire took her place behind her desk once again.

"If you say you will, then I'm going to hold you to that. The pressure is on now, Nimbus. Do you have the power to change? To become a new pony? I can't answer those questions. You'll simply have to find out. All I know is that I for one believe you can. Whether I believe it or not is, of course, irrelevant. You need to prove to me, and most of all yourself, that you have the commitment to stick with the goal you've set for yourself." Spitfire placed Nimbus's Wonderbolt pin in a drawer, shutting it away, then looked back at the former cadet. "Any last questions?"

Nimbus shook his head.

"You are dismissed, then," Spitfire said.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," Nimbus responded, saluting as per custom. He was grateful when he finally turned his back on Spitfire. She wouldn't have to see the single tear that was brimming in his left eye. As he walked outside, he could see the other cadets practicing aerobatics, all well on their way to becoming masters of speed and precision. Nimbus felt a pang of grief knowing now that he could not be one of them. He stepped into the carriage that was waiting for him just outside Spitfire's office with a heavy heart. Yet somewhere within, he could also sense a flame- a flame of determination. It was small, almost undetectable, but it was there nonetheless, eager to try again. As Nimbus secured his belongings inside the carriage and sat down, he knew that this didn't have to be the end. To him, it was a new beginning- a clean slate.

And he intended to make the most of it.

**Author's note: okay, I can explain. A few weeks ago, I felt Nimbus was in need of a major overhaul. The character was shallow, and felt Gary Stuish at times. To that end, I took some time off to establish a new storyline, taking place a year before the events of Friendship is Magic. I feel that the new Nimbus is a much more well-rounded character, and I hope you enjoy reading about his experiences, starting back at square one. For those who were interested in reading "In Pursuit of..." a story related to the old Nimbus character, please let me know if you want a copy of the entire story. I have the complete story finished and saved in my documents, but I will be removing the old story from the site, to avoid any timeline confusion.**


	2. San Palomino

_San Palomino_

_San Palomino Air Base_

_REAF Field Training _

_One year later…_

Nimbus stood under the shower head, letting water flow over his sore, fatigued body. The water was cold, and as always was a shock to his system, but he didn't care. It was liquid, and right now that was all that mattered. He opened his mouth, letting some of the water flow in, and gulped down a mouthful of the stuff, letting his eyes close as he enjoyed the tranquility of the moment.

"Hey buddy, save some for us, okay?"

Nimbus looked towards the voice that had called him. Peering over the stall next to him was the head of a dark blue Pegasus, grinning like a lunatic. Nimbus shook his head and grinned. "You know they said we weren't supposed to talk in the shower, right Storm Runner?"

"To hay with that!" Storm Runner said, "we're only stuck on this Celestia-forsaken base in the middle of nowhere for one more day! That's worth celebrating, isn't it?"

A cry of "hey you- the jabberjaws in the showers- hurry up!" sounded from the back of the line of ponies waiting their turns to get into the shower and Nimbus ducked back down.

"Oops," he said, grinning sheepishly as he cleaned himself up. Storm Runner had been right, of course. Today marked the last day of official training activities for Nimbus's Field Training, part of his introduction to the Aviator Training School at the Royal Equestrian Air College. The training consisted of five weeks of hellish mental and physical tests, each designed to both push the new recruits to their limits and develop their teamwork characteristics. Nimbus could still remember the day well when he bid his parents goodbye to board the carriage for San Palomino. He remembered most vividly the worry in their eyes. They'd tried to hide it of course, behind genuine smiles, but when he'd left that day, Nimbus knew that the only way to completely convince his parents that he wouldn't repeat the same mistakes he'd made at the Wonderbolts Academy was with results. He'd made up his mind then and there to deliver said results as soon as possible.

Field Training had been tough from the start, and all of the incoming cadets hit the ground galloping. Literally. The cadre in charge of training had sent them on a five mile run only an hour after the carriage ride. For most of the cadets, the run was made even harder by the fact that they weren't used to such a hot and arid climate. Several ponies threw up. At least two fainted. Nimbus was determined not to be one of them, and managed to avoid either fate, but just barely. He was used to the somewhat cooler climate of Hollow Shades, where he'd lived for most of his life, and moving down here, away from the cool valley breezes of his home, was quite a shock. Nonetheless, he'd forced himself to adapt, along with the rest of his fellow cadets, and his efforts had paid off. Despite weeks of obstacle courses, endurance gallops, wing-ups, and basic field training, he'd made it to the end. According to the final tally, at least ten cadets did not. Nimbus had felt sorry for each one as they left. He knew the pain of leaving a dream behind. It was this, however, which forced him to continue, and it was for this reason that he was here now.

Nimbus left the water running, out of courtesy for the shower's next occupant. The showers tended to warm up after a steady water flow for five minutes or so, and it was the polite thing to do. He toweled himself off next to Storm Runner, who was cheerfully whistling a tune of some sort. Nimbus didn't know how the guy did it. He hadn't seen Storm Runner upset at any point during the entire five weeks. He'd made up his mind after the third week to ask him what his secret was, to which Storm Runner replied "what? You don't think this is fun, too?"

Assuming Storm Runner had been putting on a false display of courage, Nimbus avoided him for a while. Braggarts never sat well with him, and he felt Storm Runner would be no different. As time went on, though, Nimbus had begun to realize that the pony was just seriously happy all the time, and the two of them started to develop a brotherhood of sorts. Nimbus had been told that Field Training usually had that effect on most ponies.

"So," he said, once he was finished drying off, "back to the campus tomorrow afternoon, eh?"

Storm Runner stopped his whistling. "Yeah, we finally get to start normal college. It's gonna be awesome!"

"Have you had a good look around the place yet?" Nimbus asked. "I only saw it for about five minutes before they herded me onto the carriage to come here."

"Oh yeah," Storm Runner replied. "I got there a day early for a tour. Wonderful place. You know when they built it, they hacked off the top of a mountain in the Unicorn Range. You don't really appreciate how high up you are until you look down sometime. And a couple of the campus buildings are actually connected with bridges. I guess building a college on the top of a mountain requires a bit of creativity."

"I guess so," Nimbus said, folding his towel up and placing it in his saddle bag. "Well, I'm heading back to my room. See you tomorrow!"

Storm Runner chuckled. "Like you have a choice. We're in the same flight.* If you don't see me tomorrow, something's probably gone wrong."

Laughing, Nimbus exited the bathroom and headed for his bunk. He finished up the rest of his nightly duties quickly, brushing his teeth and preparing his bed in the manner he'd been instructed to for the past few weeks. It'd be nice to finally have a change of pace for once. For him, of course, that change of pace would bring just as much challenge as CST. This time, though, instead of working to keep up with the daily exercises, he'd be trying to keep his head above academic water. As the lights went out in the bunk room, Nimbus closed his eyes, still working out just how he was going to keep ahead of his academics in the coming year. It was going to be a restless night.

…

"Wake up, wake up! Did you think we were done with you yet?!"

Nimbus sat bolt upright and slid out of his bunk, floating to the ground as he'd done so many times already in CST. The cadre were galloping around, pounding on whatever objects they felt would make the loudest noise, urging the confused ponies to get up and out as fast as possible. Nimbus had no clue what was going on. There wasn't supposed to be training on the last day, yet the cadre were still waking everypony up as usual. Galloping into the hallway, he saw Storm Runner and shot him a questioning glance. Storm Runner responded with a shrug, and bolted downstairs. Nimbus followed him and ran down the stairs and out of the barracks, to his flight's form-up spot. Nimbus took his place at the front right corner of the square of ponies. He'd earned the position of element leader during the first week. It wasn't necessarily an enviable position, as it had earned him plenty of extra attention from the occasional cadre walking by, but he still considered earning it a small victory.

Standing at rigid attention, Nimbus didn't dare look anywhere other than straight ahead. The world around him was a sea of moving bodies, and the yelling of the cadre was everywhere, drilling into his ears. He noticed without much enthusiasm that they'd once again been woken up before the sun's rise. He'd joked around once about writing princess Celestia a letter asking her to raise the sun a little earlier. It'd all been in jest, of course, but some days it seemed somewhat practical. Today was one such day.

"Flight, tench-hut!"

Nimbus was snapped out of his morning daydreams with the arrival of his flight commander- a grey earth pony wearing a black beret. He stood in front of the group of tired, bedraggled ponies, fixing his steely gaze upon them, until another voice cut through the morning air.

"Groups!"

Nimbus instantly froze. The voice was that of the group commander- the pony essentially in charge of training. She'd only spoken to them on two occasions- once during the beginning of FIELD TRAININGand once sometime in the middle- and both times she'd been rather upset, to say the least.

Her call was echoed by cries of "squadrons!" and "flights!" as per custom, to which she responded with "tench- hut!" If any pony hadn't been at the position of attention before, they were most certainly there now. Nimbus listened intently, waiting to see what would come next.

"Cadets," the group commander began, "the last time I spoke to you, I was disappointed. You were not a team, and you were disappointing me at every turn. I told you that you'd have two more weeks to prove yourselves to me. Those two weeks are up, and now it's time for me to decide if you really are ready to advance in your training. You don't believe I can extend your training? Think again. This is my call and mine alone. That said, it's time for me to reveal what I think of you. In the past two weeks…" she paused, letting the tension hang, "you have not only met my expectations but exceeded them. You've learned what it means to be a team. I've done my job, but your work is far from over. When I formally complete your training, you will move on to the academic year. I assure you that its challenges will be no less difficult than those you faced here. I expect your teamwork to continue through the next year until graduation, and I want to see each and every one of you at graduation- yes, I will in fact be there. I know this won't happen. Every year we lose some good ponies to the pressures of academics, but I want you- I'm expecting you- to watch over each other and help your comrades out." She paused for a moment, then finished. "That's all I have for you. Good luck, and I now consider your training complete." The group commander stood tall and saluted. The rest of the chain of command turned towards the cadets and followed suit. Nimbus felt pride swelling up inside- the kind of pride he hadn't felt since he entered the Wonderbolts Academy a year ago.

"Cadets, at rest," the group commander ordered. Slowly, as if unsure what to do with their new freedom, the cadets began to shift out of their formations, mingling with each other. Within moments, they were everywhere, chattering excitedly and swapping stories. Nimbus smiled. Field Training was over. Now his real challenge could begin. Nimbus spotted Storm Runner telling some more than likely embellished tale to a group of cadets from another school and hurried over to listen. There would be time on the carriage ride later to think over his future. For now, it was time to celebrate.


	3. Red Carpet

_Red Carpet_

A jolt bumped Nimbus out of his sleep. He'd been practically unconscious for most of the carriage ride now. He and the rest of his REAC classmates had departed San Palomino Air Base an hour ago, all in high spirits but also equally exhausted. It had taken Nimbus less than five minutes to pass out. Storm Runner had been counting.

Nimbus stirred and pulled himself up as another jolt rocked the carriage. Turbulence, no doubt. His suspicions were confirmed when he glanced out the window. The carriage, pulled by two Pegasi, was beginning a slow climb between several mountains, and the mountain winds were buffeting it every so often. Nimbus took in the beautiful sight. White, snow-capped peaks glistened in the afternoon sun, and from here, he could even see wisps of snow, driven by the breeze. Finally, he peeled himself away from the sight to have a look around the carriage. Storm Runner was the only other pony awake. Go figure.

"So you've rejoined the land of the living?" Storm Runner quipped, "I envy you. All of that 'snooze you lose' stuff is a pile of manure. I'd love to be able to sleep right now. I'm just way too excited."

Nimbus stretched out and reclined as much as he could on his bench. "Storm Runner, you're excited about everything."

Storm Runner nodded. "This is true." He struck a noble pose "for it is my blessing, and my curse."

Nimbus chuckled at his friend's antics and turned his attention back to the window. Something caught his eye- a shape that didn't belong in nature. It was a mountain with a flat-topped peak. Nimbus instantly became more alert.

"I see the campus!" he said, "it's on our left side! We'll be there in no time at all!"

Several ponies began to stir, mumbling grumpily for Nimbus to be quiet, and the Pegasus grinned sheepishly, turning his attention back out the window. Sure enough, the college was slowly coming into view, emerging from the clouds bit by bit. The main building was huge, with a roof made almost entirely out of glass panes. Smaller buildings dotted the mountaintop nearby, more than likely the living areas, and several bridges crisscrossed between the college and other, smaller peaks where still more buildings and spires were. Nimbus was in awe. He was interrupted from his daydreams by a voice from the front of the carriage. It was one of the Pegasi pulling them.

"Cadets, secure yourselves. We will be passing over the campus at high speed, in accordance with college tradition. Enjoy your red carpet treatment while it lasts."

Nimbus didn't know what was going on, but the voice didn't appear to be joking. He sat back in his seat and fastened his seatbelt. Around him, others were waking up and doing the same, equally clueless. Nimbus craned his neck for a look outside. They were picking up speed now, and the two carriages that had followed them here had taken their places on their left and right. It was a good formation, made even more impressive by the size of the carriages. As a colt, Nimbus had seen formation flying done before, but only between individual Pegasi, not Pegasi pulling large, cumbersome carriages through the air. The best was yet to come, though.

"Hang on!" the voice from before called back. Nimbus barely had time to react as his world turned upside-down. All carriages and carriage-pullers executed sharp high-speed rolls as they passed over the college. Nimbus could hear cheers below and his spirits rose. They were cheering for _them! _He tried not to take it too seriously- allowing such things to go to one's head usually turned out to be a recipe for disaster- but he couldn't help but feel pride swell in him all the same. When the Pegasi banked around, Nimbus started organizing his saddlebag. They'd be landing soon. A few moments later, a soft "thud" confirmed his suspicions. They were on the ground. When they were fully stopped, the carriage door opened and one of the carriage-pullers stuck his head in.

"Follow me," he said, "and keep quiet. You'll have time to look around later, but for now there are formalities to attend to."

Nimbus stepped out after the Pegasus. From the ground, the college looked even more massive, and the landscape was simply dazzling. Green grass covered the grounds, dotted with patches of pure, white snow. Other ponies, whom Nimbus presumed to be students, began to gather around, applauding the cadets as they arrived. Nimbus picked his head up a little more, trying to look as confident and dashing as possible while maintaining an air of humility. Storm Runner, who trotted along beside him, was doing the exact opposite. The blue Pegasus , it appeared, had unleashed his inner rockstar and was pulling every trick in the book, from bowing to nodding, to waggling eyebrows at a few mares. The guy had only been here for less than a minute and he was popular already. Nimbus could see the Pegasus escorting them getting somewhat perturbed at being unable to do anything. While Storm Runner was certainly taking things lightly, he technically hadn't broken any rules. The stallion hadn't uttered a single word. Nimbus laughed silently to himself and diverted his attention back towards the college. A snow-white Pegasus mare was headed in their direction, and she carried herself with authority. While he didn't know who she was, Nimbus decided that she was rather important, and that behaving like Storm Runner at this point wouldn't necessarily be wise.

"Good afternoon, Captain," the mare said to the escort Pegasus, who saluted in return.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. I present you with this year's cadets. They have excelled through the rigors of Field Training and are anxious to prove their dedication to Equestria through their studiousness here."

"So I can see," the mare said, raising an eyebrow at Storm Runner, who was currently occupied with copying down the room address of a blue-eyed Unicorn. The white mare saluted the Pegasus, then turned to the cadets as the escort Pegasus walked away.

"Cadets, welcome to the Royal Equestrian Air College. I am Winter Breeze, the college's Primicerius." Several eyebrows went up, and Winter Breeze smiled. "Understandably, many of you are probably confused. You'll find that many of our customs here are quite old, and go back long before Equestria was even founded. As Primicerius, I am tasked with ensuring that your education prepares you to be beneficial citizens of Equestria, and in your case, some of our nation's finest warriors. In short, you could say that I run things around here. If you'll follow me, I'd like to explain the history behind this college."

Winter Breeze turned and headed towards the main building. The rest of the cadets followed, and Nimbus managed to drop in line next to Storm Runner, who was bidding his blue-eyed "marefriend" a cheery goodbye.

"Did you catch any of what Winter Breeze said?" Nimbus asked as Storm Runner tucked the Unicorn's room number into his saddlebag.

"Nope," Storm Runner admitted, "but I'm sure I'll figure it out as we go along."

Winter Breeze led the ponies through two great double doors into the main hall. Nimbus's breath was taken away by the sheer immensity of the place. The college had looked large from the outside; from the inside, it seemed impossibly big. Pillars carved out of what appeared to be the very mountain's stone and marble trim covered the vast expanse of the interior. The place looked ancient, and yet it appeared as if it had never aged a day.

"This is the Great Hall," Winter Breeze said, stopping once all of the cadets had filed in. "When Equestria was founded, Commander Hurricane herself took its defense under her responsibility. This building was once a fortress. Towards the end of her days, Commander Hurricane realized that Equestria needed a college dedicated to educating ponies about the skies of her homeland, and training those who wished to defend them. The college was born as Equestria's borders widened and forced this fortress farther from potential battlefields. It grew around the fortress, until it became what you see today. By now, of course, you've noticed that not all of the ponies here are cadets. The college specializes in providing education for those interested in seeking knowledge about our skies. We've trained weather specialists, farmers, even a few of Celestia's own royal guard."

"Commander Hurricane?" Storm Runner whispered, "even I didn't know that."

"You serious?" Nimbus joked, "I thought you knew everything about this place. You took the tour, right?"

"Please refrain from interrupting me," Winter Breeze called out over the cadets. Nimbus instantly shut his mouth. Though the Primicerius wasn't looking at him directly, he felt she knew exactly who had spoken out of turn.

"We'll work our way towards the dormitories, where you will begin registration," Winter Breeze continued, "keep up, and-" she looked directly at Nimbus, "-try to avoid drawing too much attention to yourselves."

Nimbus gulped. She'd caught him after all.

"To your right is the dining hall, like the main hall, it is completely unchanged structurally, and we have only added modern appliances for the benefit of our students. It is open three times a day, and you may check the schedule yourselves. We must move quickly; there is much more to see."

…

Nimbus stopped in front of a white door marked "104," consulting a sheet of paper he'd been carrying around in his saddlebag. He turned around.

"This is it," he said. Storm Runner, the pony who'd been following him, nodded.

"Open 'er up, then, Nimbus! Let's see what we got!"

Nimbus cracked open the door and stepped inside. Like the rest of the campus, the floor was marble. A bed was set next to both the left and the right walls, the frame of which was completely built out of stone. Nimbus winced. The architecture was incredible- the stonework seemed carved from the mountain- but the beds looked less than comfortable. Still, he decided to say nothing. Storm Runner, on the other hand, was considerably more vocal about the situation.

"What is this? I have to sleep on a bunch of rocks for the next year?* Field Training I could understand, but this is ridiculous!"

"Well they did provide mattresses," Nimbus pointed out helpfully. "It's not like you'll be sleeping on bare stone. Besides- we're actually quite lucky. This is the oldest living hall on campus. It's possible some legendary warrior Pegasus slept on that same bed. Heck, maybe Commander Hurricane herself did!"

Storm Runner turned his gaze solemnly out the window towards the sky. "In that case, dear Commander Hurricane, I must say that I fully respect you, but your choice of beds is laughable."

"Oh come on, it's not so bad," Nimbus said, "here, I'll show you." Nimbus flared his wings and launched himself into the air in a perfect belly flop, landing on his bed with a sound somewhere between a comfortable "poof" and a somewhat less comfortable-sounding "splat."

"Ow," Nimbus said, his voice muffled by the mattress, "that actually kind of hurt. Remind me not to question your judgment when it comes to furniture quality."

Storm Runner laughed and started going through his saddlebag, pulling out odds and ends. "You know what, Nimbus? You and me are gonna get along just fine as roommates for the year."

"You mean if we don't destroy half the school first," Nimbus pointed out, pulling himself up and remaking his bed.

Storm Runner shrugged. "If it's the half with these terrible beds, I think we'll have done the sleeping community a favor. I don't have a problem with that."

Smiling, Nimbus sat down on his newly-made bed, taking out a few pictures his family had sent with him- reminders of the support he had back home. Storm Runner took note of this and sat back in a study chair, taking a brief break from his unpacking.

"So Nimbus," he said finally, "what made you join up? I mean going Aviator isn't easy, that's for sure."

Nimbus sighed, feeling his hear sink. He'd hoped to avoid this subject for as long as possible. Still, he couldn't just lie. Storm Runner had to know the truth. "I came here from the Wonderbolt Academy, actually," he said at last, "I was disenrolled."

Storm Runner's eyes went wide. "What are you talking about? Is this some kind of joke? Dude, you were kicking flank left and right during Field Training! Why would the Wonderbolts want to kick you out?"

"Because I made some big mistakes, and I got arrogant," Nimbus admitted. "I thought the moment I walked in I had everything in the bag. Failing my first Dizzitron exam? I figured I was just having a bad day. Never occurred to me the second and third time I failed that if I'd just cracked the books open and done some reading I'd have passed easily. When Spitfire shut away my Wonderbolt pin, it was just…" Nimbus felt a tear slide down his cheek and he looked up. Storm Runner seemed positively devastated.

"What about you?" Nimbus sniffed, trying to change the subject. "What drew you to the service?"

Shaking his head and clearing his thoughts, Storm Runner stood proudly, gazed about the room dramatically, then fixed Nimbus with a steely gaze.

"Mares," he said, not blinking or breaking his serious expression even once. Despite his recent recollections, Nimbus lost himself again and started laughing. Storm Runner joined in as well. The two laughed for at least a minute straight before Storm Runner stopped.

"Okay," he said, "jokes aside, I did it for my family. You know my dad fought in the Griffon War a few years ago- came back home, and I was born a year later. When I learned that the Royal Equestrian Air Force was our country's biggest deterrent against those damn Griffons, I had to be a part of it. I can't see Equestria fall into war again, and I can't see my family come under fire. That's the truth, plain and simple."

"That's noble," Nimbus said, nodding, "not many ponies have the kind of motivation you do, it seems."

"Nor do they share your determination," Storm Runner countered, then shook his head. "Aw, look what you've done. You're getting me all sentimental. Let's get some chow before my condition gets any worse."

"Lead the way," Nimbus laughed. "Classes start tomorrow; maybe we can figure out where those are on the way."

"We'll do that _after _we eat," Storm Runner said, closing the door behind Nimbus as the orange Pegasus exited the room, "I'm so hungry right now I'd probably be willing to eat a few rocks if it'd fill me up."

Sighing, Nimbus gave his roommate a friendly shove and led the way out of the dorm.

"Of course," Storm Runner added under his breath, "eating rocks is probably still better than sleeping on 'em."

*Ever wonder why you don't see many ponies in college? While canon hasn't provided an explanation for the Equestrian education system, I've decided to tackle the issue in my version of Equestria by stating that college lasts for a year.


	4. First Day

_First Day_

"Beep, beep, beep…"

The alarm clock's incessant beeping jolted Nimbus out of the first peaceful slumber he'd had in a while. Reacting just as he would have in Field Training, Nimbus rolled out of bed and started getting his things together as quickly as possible.

"For the love of Celestia, Nimbus, shut that alarm clock off before I kill it," Storm Runner called out from under his covers.

"Nope," Nimbus said, "not until you get up and out of bed! We have class in two hours!"

"That's two more hours I could use to sleep!" Storm Runner protested, sliding out of bed, "I consider that some very useful time!"

"Not on our first day," Nimbus countered, tossing Storm Runner his saddlebag, "we need to get to class early. Besides- it'll be fun. We've got Aviator Training School Practical Operations first thing!"

"Prac Ops, yeah," Storm Runner said, "sounds like a hoot."

Nimbus caught the sarcasm in his voice. "In other words, that's where we learn how to dogfight and go on patrols and such."

Storm Runner's bleary eyes were wide open now. "Oh, you mean- never mind. I must have misheard you… yeah. Just a misunderstanding. Let's get to class!"

…

Nimbus and Storm Runner were the first two ponies in class when they arrived. The Practical Operations building was located on a peak just next to their living quarters, as it turned out, and all they'd had to do was cross a single bridge to get there. The classroom itself was quite small, but the building was anything but. The entire building was dedicated entirely to prac ops, and it boasted a gymnasium, an indoor obstacle course, and several training areas. This was clearly the "hooves on" class.

Storm Runner glowered at Nimbus as he lowered himself into his seat, nodding his head at the clock on the wall. They still had half an hour before class was scheduled to start. Shrugging, Nimbus smiled back at this friend and chose his own seat, taking out what he felt he'd need for class. As time passed, more ponies began to enter, and before long the class was completely full. The noise of excited, chattering ponies was almost overwhelmingly loud, and Nimbus almost didn't notice as a grey Unicorn entered the room from the front, wearing the rank and insignia of a REAC Officer.

"Room, tench-hut!" Nimbus barked, and instantly he and his fellow cadets snapped to attention. The Unicorn put a few things away in his desk at the front of the classroom and turned to the cadets.

"Excellent job, to whoever caught that. Don't think that just because Field Training's over you don't have to call the room to attention when an officer enters. At ease, and take your seats, please."

Nimbus lowered himself down into his seat, feeling rather proud of himself as the Unicorn went on.

"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Dusk Shine," he said, pacing around the front of the room as he spoke, "and as you can clearly see, though I am not a Pegasus, I am in fact a member of the Royal Equestrian Air Force. Why? Well, let me be the first to tell you that there's much more to the Air Force than what you hear about. Aviators, weather specialists, the few of us who become Royal Guards… these are just the tip of the iceberg. Before I came here, I was a combat analyst. By the time I was stationed here, I had a pretty firm understanding of what makes Equestria's armed forces tick, and it's my goal that every last one of you becomes an effective warrior of the air. Yes, I cannot fly. Is this going to hinder me? No. We will study historic dogfights that will make even your heads spin in here, and you will receive what I believe is top-quality training at one of Equestria's primary flight schools. Listen up, do your studying, and participate, and I can guarantee that this class will benefit you."

Dusk Shine turned to a closet near his desk and unlocked it, opening the door. "Inside here is the first step you will take to becoming the best batch of cadets Equestria's ever seen. Because Aviator Training School is a military organization, you will all wear uniforms. All we'll be doing in class today will be fitting you and issuing you your uniforms and items required for class. Now please come to me as I call your name."

Nimbus relaxed slightly in his seat. Today wouldn't be terribly difficult at all. As he leaned back, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around. Storm Runner was waiting for him.

"Dogfights and patrols, eh?"

"Oh shut it," Nimbus countered, "you can't really expect that we'll be getting up in the air on day one."

"Yeah, whatever. Just messin' with you," Storm Runner said.

"Cadet Nimbus."

"And I've been summoned, it seems." The orange Pegasus looked at Storm Runner apologetically, slid out of his seat and headed to the front of the room where he was directed into the fitting room. He was brought before a white Unicorn with a curly purple mane first, who instantly began measuring him from head to hoof with a speed that would have shamed even the fastest fliers.

"I do hope you'll stand still better than the last cadet who came through here," she mumbled, wrapping a tape measure tight around Nimbus's stomach, "he was falling all over the place, terrible coordination."

"You won't have that problem with me, ma'am," Nimbus replied, trying not to gasp as the tape measure went around his neck. The Unicorn looked unconvinced.

"Well that's what the last stallion said as well, and I already told you how he turned out," she passed Nimbus a clipboard with a few measurements jotted down, "take this to the next station and have a splendid day, as I'm sure you Air Force types do."

"And you as well," Nimbus added as the mare went back to her work. _Grumpy much?_ He thought to himself as he moved on and started collecting his required items in his oversize saddlebag. By the time he was done, he felt he was carrying his own body weight in issued gear. Storm Runner just laughed as Nimbus walked by under instructions to head back to his room and put away his things before returning. Nimbus had the last laugh, though, as he returned just in time to watch Storm Runner fall into the same predicament. When the last Pegasus returned, Dusk Shine returned to the front of the room.

"Cadets, I'm not going to lie. You will never see another day as easy as today was. I want to see every single one of you fly over our parade field at graduation. Yes, that is a tradition, and no, I'm not going to tell you about it now. You need to earn that honor. Unfortunately, statistics tell me that several of you will inevitably quit before this year is out. I want you to prove those numbers wrong. I want you to show our country and even Celestia herself that you can take any challenge in your way and overcome it through teamwork. Am I clear?"

A resounding cry of "yes sir!" echoed through the class. Dusk Shine nodded.

"Cadets, you are dismissed. I will see you all tomorrow at the same time as today. Be ready to work."

Nimbus hefted his saddlebag and headed out the door behind Storm Runner. "So that mare who was measuring everypony was a jerk, don't you think?" he asked, catching up and falling into a steady trot next to the blue Pegasus.

"I can't really blame her," Storm Runner replied, "do you know who she is?"

"No," Nimbus replied, "should I?"

"Well," Storm Runner shrugged, "in all honesty, probably not, but my sister was always into fashion magazines, and apparently that mare back there is one of Ponyville's up and coming designers."

"Up and coming designer or not, she could use a chill pill or two," Nimbus said, "but anyway- what's your next class?"

"Equestrian History," Storm Runner replied, rolling his eyes, "which is probably going to be extremely boring."

"Oh I wouldn't say anything yet," Nimbus countered, taking his schedule out of his saddlebag and holding it up with his teeth. Storm Runner studied it for a moment and started laughing.

"Okay, I take it back. My next class is a picnic compared to that!"

"Tell me about it," Nimbus grumbled, "I think I'd rather shove a pencil through my eye than sit through Accelerated Officer Education."

"Yeah," Storm Runner replied as the two walked across the bridge back to the main hall, "math, language, and science all rolled into one class. And I don't have to do it until later!"

"You still have to do it, though," Nimbus pointed out.

"Can it," Storm Runner said, "let's just get some lunch."

…

As Nimbus had predicted, Accelerated Officer Education was nothing but dull. He'd found himself sitting in his desk for an hour and a half while his teacher read over the year's syllabus. Adding to the situation, he'd just had lunch, and was on the verge of falling asleep. The instructor had been nice enough, Nimbus supposed. She was a female Earth Pony who was clearly very well-read. Nimbus's only gripe was that the mare seemed to deem it necessary to explain_ everything_ in excruciating detail. When class was finally dismissed, Nimbus winked at Storm Runner as they passed by each other.

"You'll love it," he said, grinning slyly, "Accelerated Officer Education is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Yeah, sure sounds like it," Storm Runner said, picking up on the sarcasm, "but hey- don't give up on your day just yet. You might actually like History."

Nimbus shook his head and headed on his way to his Equestrian History class. The class was located on a nearby peak, and the bridge leading to it actually transitioned into a flight of stairs, spiraling around the peak until they reached the spire-shaped building. The architecture caught Nimbus's eye instantly. This hadn't been done recently. The stonework resembled that of the main hall, and when he finally reached the top of the stairs, the tower which housed the class only confirmed his suspicion. It was nothing if not tall, and while its design was quite plain, it looked solid; certainly strong enough to withstand an attack.

Nimbus headed inside and took a seat, gazing around at the classroom's décor. A small staircase ran up the wall on one side, leading to a door with a gold name plate on it. While Nimbus couldn't make out the name on it, he felt it was safe to assume it was the instructor's office. The rest of the tower's interior was covered in artifacts of all sorts, ranging from the days of Equestria's founding to recent history. At the front of the classroom, a large mural overlooked all of the desks. On it, Equestria's history appeared to be detailed. Nimbus could make out several characters from stories he'd heard as a colt- Discord the Draconequus, Princess Celestia- Equestria's ruler, shadowy pony-like figures he guessed were the "Dark Ones," strange creatures shrouded in mystery that had supposedly existed since the dawn of time. He'd never liked those stories. According to his parents, the Dark Ones could change their form at will, and preyed upon happiness. Nopony had seen them for a long time, of course, so their existence had become something of an old mare's tale, which still hadn't stopped Nimbus from sleeping with a few lights on when he heard about them.

_Speaking of old mare's tales…_ Nimbus thought as his gaze rested upon one of the most famous pieces of pony folklore ever to be passed down- the Mare in the Moon. Her depiction was simple- just the shadow of a mare's profile visible on the moon. He remembered her story well. The mare's identity was unknown; some stories claimed that she'd defied Celestia. Others claimed that she'd killed Celestia's sister- Princess Luna- almost one thousand years ago. All seemed to have a nugget of truth to them. Celestia's sister had, in fact, disappeared, and Celestia had never personally spoken of the mare in the moon. As a result, Nimbus had always found this tale to be slightly more believable than the others.

"Class, tench-hut!"

Startled, Nimbus jumped out of his seat and snapped to attention. He'd been daydreaming, and hadn't even noticed as an elderly, tan Pegasus trotted down the stairs and into the classroom. The Pegasus said nothing, fixing the class with a steely glare from the front of the room where he stopped. Nimbus gulped. Just how scary could History get?

The Pegasus kept up his act for almost a minute, then broke into a wide grin. "Please sit down," he said, "and please- don't worry. This class isn't meant to scare you. I just enjoy watching your reactions after coming straight out of Field Training." The pony started walking through the class as the students took their seats, talking as he went.

"Furthermore, there's no need to call the class to attention. My days of service are long behind me. My name is Polaris. I am a veteran of the Griffon War, I am fifty-seven years old, and I guarantee you that those two things put together can be a dangerous combination. If you want to hear about the war, I will most likely talk your ear off. You have been warned. I've also been fascinated by the history of this great country, and I will try my best, so help me Celestia, to impart that fascination onto you in this class. We'll begin lesson one today."

The class immediately began taking out books, but Polaris waved his hoof. "No, no books. As much as I'm sure you want to read some top-quality textbooks after taking Accelerated Officer Education, we won't be using those much here. Relax. Today, we're just going over the basics- you won't hear anything today you don't already know…"

Nimbus listened intently as Polaris spent the next hour and a half talking about the basic milestones of Equestrian History. He'd been right, of course. Most of the things Polaris said, Nimbus had learned a long time ago, but to hear him actually talk about it… Nimbus didn't know what exactly the old Pegasus was doing, but somehow he managed to explain things in a way that was actually interesting, painting vivid verbal descriptions and talking about events as if he'd been there. When the Pegasus finally dismissed the class, Nimbus found himself surprised that he actually wanted to hear more. As he turned to leave, Polaris spoke.

"Cadet Nimbus, is it? Would you mind staying back for a moment?"

Nimbus froze. While he'd never been much of a troublemaker back in grade school, he'd always assumed that staying late was never a good thing. Still, it was better to comply now than disobey. He turned around and trotted over to Polaris warily. "Sir?"

Polaris chuckled. "Relax, Nimbus. And please don't call me sir. Have I taught you nothing today? We're all friends here."

"Yes s- I mean, yes, Polaris," Nimbus said, nodding. "It's just kind of a hard habit to break."

"I understand perfectly," Polaris said. "Now, I understand that you attended the Wonderbolt Academy before this, correct?"

"Yes," Nimbus replied, feeling his hear sink.

"Oh I'm not going to reprimand you," Polaris reassured him, "we all make mistakes, and I do not want to make your life harder. I simply wanted to know if you're feeling alright. Something like that is hard to shake off."

"I'll be fine," Nimbus said after a moment. "If anything… my drive to succeed is greater now. I made a promise to Spitfire while I was there that I'd graduate this program as an Aviator, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Tartarus itself won't stop me."

Polaris stood back, sizing up the young Pegasus. "You sound determined," he said finally, "and I think you've learned your lesson. Nimbus, I want you to know that I have full confidence in you. If you ever need help, do not hesitate to come to me." Polaris stopped, but had the appearance that he had more to say.

"Did you have something else to say?" Nimbus said.

"Well I did," Polaris said, "but it's more of a personal nature; a question for you."

"You can ask me," Nimbus said, "I've pretty much been swallowing my pride answering personal questions for the last year, so this won't bother me."

"Well, it's about your cutie mark," Polaris answered. Nimbus gazed back at his flank. He'd never really thought about his cutie mark until Polaris brought it up. The mark was a white arrowhead-type shape turned on its side. The top side of the arrowhead broke off into a stylized wing, while the bottom side tapered down to a point.

"It's not often I see ponies with an abstract cutie mark design," Polaris continued, "are you familiar with how a cutie mark is selected?"

Nimbus shook his head. "All I know is that they represent our talents."

"Exactly," Polaris replied, "it's an extremely complicated process, but to shorten it up, our brains fixate on a physical manifestation- an image- of a particular talent for a brief, but intense moment. At that moment, our bodies release a short burst of magic, which transfers the image to the flank via a sort of permanent spell. The entire process is involuntary and takes place in fractions of a second, but that's how a cutie mark is born."

"It's quite fascinating," Nimbus admitted, "I didn't know that all ponies had magic."

"Yes, it's a common misconception that Unicorns are the only ones," Polaris went on, "but in fact, they are simply the only race capable of controlling it. They have several magic-sensitive organs that channel their internal magic through their horn, thereby releasing it. But I digress. You see what you've done? I've almost talked your ear off. My point is that since a cutie mark is based off of a mental image, it's extremely rare for one to take the form of an abstract pattern. Most manifest as images of concrete, everyday objects."

Nimbus raised an eyebrow, "I guess that's odd. I got my cutie mark when I learned to fly."

"A flight cutie mark? For a Pegasus? Doesn't that strike you as a bit abnormal?"

"I guess I'd never really thought about it," Nimbus said, shrugging. "Why do you ask?"

The old Pegasus didn't answer. Instead, he trotted up next to Nimbus. "You can go soon. I'd just like to see one more thing. Can you extend a wing for me?"

Nimbus raised his left wing and Polaris bent under it, examining its structure. "What exactly are you doing, if I may ask?" Nimbus said.

"Just checking for something," Polaris said, raising a hoof, "now I want you to close your eyes. And just try to stand still."

"Okay…" Nimbus said, shutting his eyes. Without warning, he felt a small, needle-like prick on the bottom of his wing, and instantly felt his wing muscles tense, then release. The room was silent for a moment before Polaris spoke again.

"You may open your eyes."

Nimbus folded his wing to his side. Polaris was staring at him as if he'd seen a ghost. "What did you do?" Nimbus asked, curious.

Polaris showed Nimbus a small needle. "I pricked a nerve cluster on your inner wing. It's a normal test, completely harmless, but up until now, I have yet to see a pony react to it the way you did."

"How?" Nimbus pressed.

"Well, most Pegasi have no reaction at all. For others, the wing locks up completely. But you…" Polaris trotted over to a chalkboard and drew out what looked like a teardrop. "This is your wing from the side," he explained. He then drew another teardrop, but this one was bent, as if trying to take the form of an upside-down "U." "This is what your wing did when I touched the nerve. For all intensive purposes, it changed shape."

"Which means?" Nimbus said.

"Which means… well, I must not get too ahead of myself. You're dismissed for today, Nimbus. As I understand it, there's going to be a mock dogfight in your Practical Operations class tomorrow, to see how naturally skilled your classmates are. I will be there. If I'm right, your gift might very well be much deeper than just knowing how to fly, and I may know a few tricks to help you unlock that potential."

"Potential for what?" Nimbus asked.

"Oh don't worry yourself about it," Polaris said, "it's just a theory of mine right now. I'll explain more if all goes well tomorrow. Good luck?"

"Okay… thanks," Nimbus said, heading out the door. As he began the trek down to the dining hall for dinner, Polaris's words echoed in his mind. What made him so different? What did his cutie mark really mean? Nimbus shook his head, clearing his mind as he saw Storm Runner waiting for him at the main hall. He didn't know what Polaris was up to, but he dismissed his confusion for the time being. After all, there was a dogfight tomorrow, and he intended to win it.


	5. Death from Above

_Death From Above_

"And you're sure about this?"

Nimbus nodded in answer to Storm Runner as the two gulped down pancakes in the dining hall. "Polaris told me there'd be a dogfight today in Prac Ops. You ready?"

Storm Runner puffed himself up. "Do I look ready? Nimbus, I kick flank on a daily basis. I was born ready."

Nimbus smiled as he savored his pancake, drizzled in syrup and covered with a sprinkling of powdered sugar- absolutely delicious. He wolfed the last of his breakfast down and stared off into space, attracting the attention of Storm Runner.

"So now," the blue Pegasus said between gulps, "the question is- are you ready?"

Nimbus shook his head. "I have no idea. I've never been in a dogfight before. Polaris said he'd be watching me, so… I don't know what that means exactly."

"Dang," Storm Runner said, "no pressure or anything."

"Exactly," Nimbus agreed as he got to his hooves and wiped his mouth off, "I don't know why- apparently it has something to do with some test he did on me yesterday."

Storm Runner raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Test? What kind of test?"

"It was weird," Nimbus confessed, "he poked my wing with a needle and apparently it did… something. I'm not sure what."

"Pretty descriptive there," Storm Runner said drily as he finished his breakfast, "but whatever. Let's get to class. I promise, for the sake of Polaris- who's actually really cool, by the way- that I won't knock you out of the sky too quickly."

Nimbus smirked. "Oh I wouldn't be too sure you'll get the chance at all, my friend. Let's just see what happens out there."

…

Nimbus stood alone on a rocky crag, just south of the campus. Polaris hadn't been kidding. Ten minutes after Dusk Shine entered the classroom, he and the rest of his fellow cadets had been issued TA-3T training flight suits and helmets, had their hooves dipped in several individual colors of "marker" paint, and had been scrambled to various locations in the Unicorn range within ten miles. As Nimbus breathed in the cool morning air, he recalled his teacher's instructions.

Today, you will participate in a mock dogfight, as a sort of preliminary skills evaluation. I'm not grading this; I just want to see how naturally capable you all are, so I can design the curriculum for the rest of the year accordingly. The rules are simple- tag your opponents with blue paint before they tag you. If you want to make a game out of it, last pony standing wins.

"Last pony standing wins…" Nimbus said aloud, "and so help me I will be that last pony." As he stretched his wings, the decades-old headset in his helmet crackled to life, and Nimbus caught the now familiar voice of Dusk Shine on the other end.

"Cadets, radio check."

Over the radio, cadets sounded off with their respective training callsigns. All cadets were "Yellow" followed by a number.

"Yellow 5, radio check good," Nimbus said in turn. After helping another cadet through a brief but embarrassing radio failure, Dusk Shine turned his focus back to the rest of the cadets.

"Alright," he said, "I'm activating your HUDs, stand by."

Nimbus blinked as the display inside his helmet's visor flickered to life. Green lines crisscrossed in front of his face, and numbers of all sorts were everywhere. It was nothing if not confusing. Dusk Shine spoke again.

"Don't worry about your HUDs. If you can read them, feel free, but if you can't, don't sweat it. You won't need them today. I'll be controlling your radio frequencies, and making the appropriate traffic calls. You just need to worry about painting each other blue. I've started the countdown. Good luck."

A timer popped up in the middle of Nimbus's HUD, counting down from twenty seconds. At the same time, several green lines flickered into view, detailing altitude and practice area boundaries. Nimbus shivered with excitement. Ten seconds left. Five, four, three, two, one…

As soon as the timer hit zero, Nimbus leapt into the air, scanning to the left, to the right, and above and below him for signs of approaching aggressors.

"Calm down," he said to himself, "it's a ten square mile area. I won't-"

"First kill!"

Nimbus rolled to the side just as a Pegasus dove by, narrowly missing him. Nimbus twisted, following the Pegasus as he spat a stream of curses. Evidently his "first kill" hadn't gone entirely as planned. The aggressor pulled up, performing a quick roll. "Beat that!" he said a tad enthusiastically.

"Okay," Nimbus said, surging forward and tapping the pony as he exited his roll, "a roll's not exactly a complicated maneuver, you know."

"Go to Tartarus," the pony replied as he turned and exited the practice area. By now the radio channel was alive with chatter, most of it standard Pegasus banter. Nimbus heard Storm Runner from time to time, displaying his usual carefree attitude, albeit sounding somewhat panicked at times. Seeing no other ponies in the area, Nimbus turned North, towards the college. Ahead, he could see a few Pegasi engaged in a tussle, or a "furball" as Aviator terminology went. Nimbus glanced back. He'd already managed to pick up another pursuer on his tail, and from the brief glimpse he caught of the pony's distinctive red coat, he recognized the Pegasus as Coriolis, one of the top physical performers at Field Training. This would be interesting.

"Come on Nimbus," Coriolis said over the radio, "the outcome's inevitable. Just slow down and make this easier on both of us."

Nimbus smiled as he began to form a plan. "Inevitable?" he asked, trying to sound sincerely surprised, "are you sure?"

"Yup," Coriolis replied as Nimbus tried to shake him with a tight loop, "you're toast. Save yourself some energy and just give in."

"Yeah… no," Nimbus said, flaring his wings and stopping sharply. He stalled instantly and dropped several feet as Coriolis passed by overhead. Nimbus continued level flight, watching Coriolis. The Pegasus looped around, aiming himself straight at Nimbus in a dive. Nimbus didn't change course or speed. Coriols stretched out his paint-covered hooves, ready for the strike, coming closer, closer…

Without warning, fractions of a second before impact, Nimbus wrenched himself into an extremely tight radius loop. Coriolis, unable to recover, could only watch, confused and helpless, as he passed under Nimbus. At the top of his loop, Nimbus changed direction and dove, planting his hooves squarely onto his pursuer's back and springing off him, back into the fight. Coriolis flew slowly away with a wounded pride and two perfectly-spaced blue dots on his back. Nimbus dove back into the fight, picking off a completely oblivious cadet. As he turned to follow another, he heard a familiar voice on the radio.

"Hey, Nimbus! Get your flank over here and help me out! I'm getting pounded here!"

It was Storm Runner without a doubt, and all of his usual bravado was completely gone. Nimbus seriously considered doing nothing, but decided he couldn't resist seeing what all of the fuss was about. It wasn't hard to find Storm Runner. He was near the upper altitude limit, trying to shake off a mare with little to no results. She was stuck onto his tail like glue, lunging forward every so often to try and land a hit on him, but for the moment, Storm Runner was keeping her at bay. Nimbus watched with amusement, keeping an eye out for other Pegasi.

"Well don't just hover there!" Storm Runner yelped, "help me out here!"

Nimbus shook his head and launched himself forward, trying to find the best angle to intercept Storm Runner's pursuer. He was closing the gap rapidly, but as he began to alter his course to follow the mare, she darted forward and landed a hit on Storm Runner's helmet. Storm Runner dropped out of the chase, regained controlled flight, and after a moment, began to register the fact that he'd been hit. His reaction was priceless.

"What? Wait… _what?!_" Storm Runner said, slowly turning to exit the practice area. Nimbus couldn't help it. He started laughing. It was probably the biggest mistake he'd made so far. He didn't notice the mare that had downed Storm Runner until she was diving out of the sun towards him.

"Aw horseapples," Nimbus swore, spinning away. The mare pulled up sharply as Nimbus tried to use her overshoot to his advantage, forcing Nimbus to disengage and look for another chance to strike.

"Nimbus, Nimbus, Nimbus," the mare said, transmitting loud and clear, "you could have stayed clear of this and saved yourself a lot of trouble."

"What, and miss the fun?" Nimbus quipped, "look, as far as I'm concerned, Storm Runner was mine. You took him down first." Nimbus swung up and over the mare in a lazy arc, following her into a sheer dive, "and besides- who doesn't like a challenge?" Nimbus was trying hard to remember the name of the pony he was following, but for the life of him, he couldn't place her. This was troubling, as there weren't many mares in the program to begin with. The mare kept up her dive, outpacing Nimbus, and he knew he wouldn't have the chance to catch her. Instead, he focused on her wings as she approached the minimum safe altitude. Slowly, they were starting to rotate, and it was this indication that led Nimbus to his next move. In the blink of an eye, he rotated his wings up, pulling up sharply as the mare below did the same. Now he was on a perfect intercept course, and the mare was traveling too quickly to maneuver enough to avoid him. Nimbus shifted his wings, maintaining his flight path but rotating his body for a four-hooved strike. Seconds later, he hit, leaving four blue marks on the target. As he disengaged, Nimbus heard the mare growl and mutter something.

_Music to my ears,_ he thought. Then Dusk Shine's voice came over the headset.

"Cadet Nimbus, return to the landing area. Congratulations."

Nimbus performed a quick victory roll and exited the practice area, coasting to a stop near the other cadets, most of which were either getting out of their flight suits or having the paint hosed off of them. Nimbus spied Storm Runner blinking and staring off into space nearby and trotted over for a chat.

"So," Nimbus quipped, "what was that you said about knocking me out of the sky earlier?"

"Oh save it," Storm Runner said, "that mare was on me the entire time. Still bagged three targets before she got me though."

"While being pursued? That's pretty impressive," Nimbus said.

"Well, thanks. Unfortunately I was unable to get her name before she mercilessly defeated me. Ah well. Perhaps some other time."

Nimbus smiled and turned his gaze towards Dusk Shine, who was tallying up some scores on a notepad. Beside him was a very familiar tan Pegasus: Polaris. The old stallion turned towards Nimbus, nodded, spoke a few quiet words to Dusk Shine, and left. Nimbus was in awe. He'd arrived after all. Dusk Shine lifted his hoof and beckoned everyone to come close. As the cadets gathered around him, he spoke.

"Well, cadets, you've completed your first milestone event. Our three top scorers were…" the cadets waited with baited breath while Dusk Shine confirmed his notes, "Nimbus, with four points, Sun Blaze with four points, and Storm Runner with three points. Third place was a three way tie, but Storm Runner stayed "alive" the longest. Our last pony standing was Cadet Nimbus. Please give him a round of applause."

Nimbus blushed. He'd never done well being the center of attention, and even though he could hear applause, he knew it was mostly false. He had a target on his head now, and his fellow cadets wouldn't soon forget it.

"Sun Blaze," Storm Runner whispered, "so that's her name. Mission accomplished, then!"

Nimbus smiled. As the applause died down, Dusk Shine spoke again. "Now, your next milestone event will be your Dizzitron exam, which will take place at the Wonderbolt Academy. We will spend the next two weeks reviewing exit and recovery procedures, and how these can apply to everyday flying. Tonight, read chapter four in your Flight Maneuvers texts. There may or may not be a reading quiz tomorrow."

Nimbus felt as if someone had sucked the life right out of him. Moments ago, he felt he'd been on top of the world, and now everything was quickly spiraling into some dark abyss. The Dizzitron- the machine that had gotten him kicked out of the Wonderbolts Academy- he'd have to face it again. Standing in shocked silence, he almost fell flat on his face when he was brushed roughly by a passing pony. Looking up, he recognized her as Sun Blaze, the mare he'd been flying against.

"You look worried," she scoffed, "I certainly would be. You know I was going easy on you up there, right?"

"Sure," Nimbus said, "whatever helps you sleep at night."

Sun Blaze glared. "We'll see who's laughing when the Dizzitron scores are out," she said, storming away. As Nimbus turned to go, Dusk Shine called out to him.

"Cadet Nimbus, front and center."

Nimbus paced over to Dusk Shine and snapped to attention, saluting. "Sir, Cadet Nimbus reports as ordered."

Dusk Shine saluted and passed Nimbus an envelope. "Polaris wanted me to give this to you. That was some good flying out there today, especially for a beginner. If you keep your grades up and perform well on the Dizzitron, I don't think you'll have much trouble graduating as an Aviator. Now, however, you have another responsibility. Remember when I said teamwork will get you through the year?"

"Yes sir," Nimbus replied curtly.

"Well, I expect you and your fellow cadets to improve before the year's over. By winning the dogfight today, you've proven to me that you have an above-average understanding of combat maneuvering. Now it's up to you to pass that knowledge to the other cadets. We either achieve things together, or we don't achieve them at all, understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good," Dusk Shine said, "then you are dismissed. I expect great things on the Dizzitron exam in two weeks."

Nimbus watched as Dusk Shine left, not even moving. It was all he could do to keep from breaking down at the mere mention of the Dizzitron. Only Storm Runner's voice broke him from his state.

"So… you gonna open it?"

"What?" Nimbus said, shaking his head.

"The envelope. Are you going to check it out?"

Nimbus mentally kicked himself for not realizing that he still had a letter. "Uh, yeah. Of course." He tore open the envelope and pulled out a small note.

"Nimbus," he said, reading it, "Well done in your dogfight today. If you'd like some assistance honing your talent, meet me on the parade field behind the campus at 0500 one week from today. Signed, Polaris."

"0500?" Storm Runner said, "that better be worth it."

"To be honest, I have no idea what I'll be doing," Nimbus admitted. Storm Runner shrugged.

"Well what the hay. I'll come along if you don't mind."

Nimbus's eyes widened. "You? Get up before 0500 in the morning? I thought you abhorred such things!"

Storm Runner grinned. "I do, but I'd like to see how this goes. Besides- if you're going to be "honing your talent" as Polaris says, you're gonna need a coach, am I right?"

Nimbus placed the note in his saddlebag and started walking toward the main hall. "If you want to come along, Storm, I'm not going to stop you. You could probably use a few pointers too, especially after getting your flank handed to you up there today."

The two headed back to the main hall, with Storm Runner practically tailing a stream of excuses. Nimbus tried to laugh at his friend's behavior, but despite his best efforts to put it out of his mind, Nimbus couldn't stop thinking about both the upcoming Dizzitron exams, and perhaps even more importantly, just what Polaris had in store for him.

He'd find out soon enough.


	6. Learning to Fly Again

_Learning to Fly… Again_

Nimbus stumbled out of his dorm room, sore and exhausted. The previous day in Practical Operations, Dusk Shine had decided to send the cadets for an eight mile endurance gallop, and Nimbus was feeling it now. On top of that, he was now stumbling around blindly in the dark at 0430 in the morning. From the sounds behind him, it didn't seem as if Storm Runner was faring any better. There was a loud crash, followed by a yelp and the sound of debris tumbling out across the marble floor.

"Dang it, there goes the trash can," Storm Runner hissed.

"Come on," Nimbus said, "we don't want to be late for- _oof!_" Nimbus collided headfirst with a wall. Dazed, he took a step back and almost ran Storm Runner over.

"Geez," the blue Pegasus said from behind, "let's just get out to the parade field before we cause any more destruction."

"Yeah," Nimbus agreed, panting, "sounds like a plan to me."

A week ago, Nimbus had received a letter from Polaris, stating that the old Pegasus wished to meet on the parade field today at 0500. Nimbus had been preoccupied with worry about the upcoming Dizzitron tests, and was still a bit apprehensive, but by now his curious excitement about what to expect today vastly overshadowed his worry.

The two Pegasi stumbled out of their living quarters and into the crisp, cool, early morning air. By now, their night vision had almost adjusted, and they set off for the parade field.

"So," Nimbus said, leading the way across the bridge to the main hall, "you make any progress on Sun Blaze?"

"Nope," Storm Runner snorted, "I tried talking to her once and narrowly avoided being bucked in the face. She hates me, probably because I'm associated with you."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Nimbus admitted, "she nearly knocked me over after the dogfight last week."

"Well, you know what they say- hard to get just makes the chase that much more fun."

Nimbus raised an eyebrow as they rounded the back corner of the main hall; the parade field was just ahead. "Who says that?"

"Well I'm sure somepony said that," Storm Runner said, defending himself, "and if not, then I was the first!"

The parade field was a large, flat rectangle of carefully-trimmed grass. On one side, a large podium stood, which, as legend stated, Commander Hurricane had once used to address her troops. Polaris was standing in the middle of the field with a board propped up nearby, silhouetted against the light of the coming morning. Celestia was at work once again, raising the sun.

"You know, that's got to be tough," Nimbus thought aloud.

"What?" Storm Runner said.

"Raising the sun," Nimbus said, "I mean, you know how long it takes for the sun to rise? Princess Celestia is using all of her effort over that entire span of time just to raise it. It's like… doing push-ups for ten minutes straight."

"Huh, yeah, I never really thought of it like that," Storm Runner admitted. "Plus, she does the same for the moon each night. Definitely not an enviable job, I guess."

Polaris watched the Pegasi as they approached. "Good morning," Nimbus said as he arrived.

"Good morning to you," Polaris replied, eyeing Storm Runner. "Storm Runner," he said, "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I'm Nimbus's roommate," Storm Runner said, "and you could say we're wingponies."

"Well in that case, good morning to you as well. And don't think I don't notice you passing notes to Apogee in class."

Storm Runner blushed. "Apogee, sir? She's on the other side of the class. I think you might be-"

"Mistaken? Oh, I know your tricks. Very clever, using your fellow students as a delivery chain."

"Thank you," Storm Runner said, beaming.

Polaris chuckled. "Stallions will be stallions. I know better than to try and stop you. As long as you keep performing well on your classwork, I don't see it as a problem." Polaris turned to Nimbus. "Now, Nimbus- glad you could make it here. I think I owe you a few explanations, then, don't I?"

"Well… sure," Nimbus said.

"Have a seat," Polaris said, indicating the ground. Nimbus and Storm Runner sat down on the grass. "Believe it or not, this starts with a little physiology lesson, combined with a touch of flight physics." Polaris drew the outline of a wing on his portable board. "Remember when I said that this is what your wing looks like from the side?" he asked. Nimbus nodded. "Good. During the dogfight yesterday I had the chance to see what your wing does in actual combat. The results were very interesting."

Polaris drew three lines curving over the top of the wing, and five curving underneath it. "This is airflow over a normal Pegasus wing. Fast moving air over the top creates a low pressure area, which gives you lift, allowing you to fly. Now your wing was doing something most unusual. I noticed at times you reverted to low speed maneuvers to gain the upper hoof. You maintained control in those maneuvers because your wing curved itself, basically changing its profile shape, or airfoil. You were able to create lift at speeds where a normal Pegasus wing would have stalled, or basically stopped generating lift. This is caused by certain muscles in Pegasus wings, which have, over time, become functionless, with one exception- the muscles in your wing. Somehow, you've figured out how to control them, which allows for the potential for some incredible maneuvers in flight."

"Really?" Nimbus said, "that sounds neat, but why are you telling me this?"

Polaris grabbed a flyer from his saddlebag and passed it to Nimbus. "Have you ever heard of the Cloudsdale Meet?"

Nimbus eyed the flyer, which detailed the event. "No, I haven't. This says it's a big mock dogfight between Equestria's top military flyers."

"Right," Polaris said, "and every year, the Aviator Training School here gets its flank served to it on a silver platter. If you feel up to it, we may be able to turn our luck around."

"Wait…" Nimbus said, registering what Polaris had said, "you want… you want _me_ to represent the Royal Equestrian Air College at the Meet?"

"That dogfight last week wasn't just for Dusk Shine's class," Polaris said, nodding, "I'm in charge of selecting REAC's competitor for this year."

Nimbus wasn't sure what to say, until Storm Runner elbowed him in the gut.

"What are you thinking about this for?" the blue Pegasus asked, "this is the chance of a lifetime! Take it!"

"Alright," Nimbus said slowly, looking Polaris in the eyes, "I'll do it."

"Excellent," Polaris said, "then your training starts this morning. Follow me, please. We're going for a gallop."

Without warning, Polaris started galloping. Nimbus and Storm Runner got to their hooves, still sore from the previous day, and caught up as best they could.

"I don't get it," Storm Runner panted as he and Nimbus fell in next to Polaris, "how is this going to help Nimbus fly?"

"Because," Polaris answered as he and the two younger stallions galloped along the mountain's edge, "to maintain a competitive edge, one must be in good physical condition.."

"Makes sense," Nimbus agreed, jumping over a rock, "so essentially we're building cardiovascular fitness?"

"Precisely," Polaris said, "of course getting the chance to teach a little aeronautics lesson never hurt either."

Nimbus kept going, feeling the pain in his legs slowly start to subside as he continued forward. The cool dew clinging to the grass beneath his hooves felt refreshing, and watching the majesty of the rising sun completely took his mind off of his own minor hardships.

"As Pegasi, we are extremely sensitive to changes in wind and electrical currents," Polaris continued, "spread out your wings; we're about to go downhill. Once you feel yourself lifting, get your hooves clear of the ground. Do not move your wings to climb. Move them only to maintain your altitude above the ground. Pull up at the last minute."

"Okay…" Nimbus said hesitantly. Ahead, a fence was blocking off a particularly steep drop-off. Polaris headed for the fence, building speed.

"Oh no," Storm Runner breathed, "he's not going to-"

Polaris leapt into the air over the fence, picking up speed rapidly as he started galloping downhill.

"Looks like he did," Nimbus said, "and we're going to do that, too." Swallowing any doubt, he propelled himself over the same fence. Storm Runner had no choice but to follow. As Nimbus's hooves hit the ground, he dug them in, clawing for traction. He was picking up speed rapidly, and ahead was a sheer drop. "Come on," Nimbus said through gritted teeth, raising his wings. He could feel the air rushing over them, but he wasn't fast enough yet. Ahead, Polaris was already airborne. Nimbus felt a small tug on his wing, and, trusting Polaris's advice, he lifted his hooves off the ground, expecting to come crashing back down. What happened instead completely took him by surprise. As his speed picked up, Nimbus found that he was holding in position just a few scant inches off the ground, and accelerating rapidly. He hadn't had to move his wings at all! The drop-off was coming closer, and Nimbus now began to move his wings, actually forcing himself to keep from climbing. The feeling was exhilarating. Here he was, capable of touching the ground if he'd wanted to, accelerating to high speed and actually forcing himself back down towards the ground. As the edge of the drop-off fell beneath him, Nimbus pulled up sharply, using his speed to climb. The sudden change in movement was so sharp, in fact, that Nimbus could actually see his field of view blacking out at the corners. Fearing for the worst, he leveled off and his vision returned to normal. Polaris flew up next to him shortly.

"And there you have it," he said, "proof that you don't actually need to flap your wings to fly."

"That was awesome!" Nimbus said, "how did you know that would work?"

"Because I've done it before," Polaris answered. "The phenomenon is called 'ground effect,' and when I was in the service, we used it to take off when carrying weapons or armor too heavy to lift in a vertical takeoff. In your case, though, it's also a good demonstrator for how a wing really works."

Storm Runner ripped by at high speed, barrel-rolling and whooping.

"Well, I'd say it was a good lesson," Nimbus said, beaming. He turned his head as a ray of sun caught the corner of his vision. The sun was rising.

"Look at that," Nimbus breathed.

"Never gets old," Polaris agreed, dipping his wings and flying back towards the campus. Nimbus and Storm Runner followed.

"So when I pulled up," Nimbus said, "my vision started going dark for a moment. Was I just seeing things, or what?"

Polaris looked interested. "Really? You started blacking out? I wonder… You see, there have been times where Pegasi have blacked out in flight before. As I understand, it's usually happened when pulling out of a fast dive, but never on takeoff. You must have pulled up sharply enough to slow the flow of blood to your head."

"Whoa," Nimbus said. Polaris chuckled at his student's awe as they landed.

"That's it for today," Polaris said, "I won't keep you two Pegasi from breakfast. Don't forget, there's a quiz in class today."

"Absolutely," Storm Runner said, grinning, "I'll see you later!"

Polaris nodded as the two Pegasi headed for the main hall. Storm Runner was practically bouncing with glee all the way.

"That was so awesome!" he said, "I was just… hovering over the ground, picking up speed! So cool!"

"It certainly was," Nimbus said, pushing the door to the main hall open for Storm Runner. The two made a beeline for the dining hall immediately. "After that workout," Nimbus confessed, "I could totally go for a nice hot plate of hashbrowns with…" Nimbus stopped when he realized that he was the only one speaking in the dining hall. Though the room was full, not a single voice was heard. It was eerie. Storm Runner nudged Nimbus.

"What?" Nimbus said, confused.

"Look," Storm Runner whispered, pointing to the television hanging in the corner of the dining hall. Nimbus turned his gaze to the screen, where everypony else's eyes were glued. On the screen, the news was playing as usual. The camera was focused on the city of Fillydelphia, where smoke was rising between a group of buildings. Nimbus went cold, stepping up towards the screen and listening as the reporter spoke.

"…_the bomb was detonated in central Fillydelphia, where Princess Celestia was meeting with the city's mayor. One suspect has been apprehended, and was carrying a videotape with the following message."_

The screen switched over to what appeared to be a dark room, with a single, hooded pony standing and facing the camera. The pony began to speak, with a voice that carried a soft, but sinister tone.

"_Equestria, this is your first warning. For what is approaching a century, you have blindly followed the tyrant known as Princess Celestia- a pretender who banished the figure you have all come to call "The Mare in the Moon" one thousand years ago. The Mare in the Moon was painted by your society as an evil being, but we have always known the truth. By bringing about Night Eternal, Equestria would have been saved, for in the darkness, we are all equals. We are the Awakening, and we are here to remind you that in five months' time, the Mare in the Moon will return. Know that our cause is just, and that we will do our best to show all of you how shortsighted we were to trust Celestia. Follow us, rise against the sun, and the Mare in the Moon will reward you when she returns. Stand in our way, and like a shadow in the night, we will attack without warning. Finally, I leave you with this- as long as Celestia remains on the throne, we will continue to carry out our strikes of justice. Celestia, if you hear this, step down for the sake of your brainwashed populace and turn yourself over to us. If you're truly the leader you pretend to be, you will realize that this is your only logical option. Remember- the night is coming._

The video faded out and was replaced by an anxious-looking reporter, running down casualty tolls. Slowly, noise in the cafeteria began to increase. Nimbus turned to Storm Runner.

"What the hay is going on?" he asked finally. Storm Runner shook his head.

"I wish I knew. All I can say is that some group of crazies out there wants Princess Celestia off the throne, and they're prepared to hurt ponies to accomplish that goal. We don't know who they are, we don't know where they're coming from, and we know that as long as they exist, bad things will happen." Storm Runner sighed. "Sometimes the world just sucks, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Nimbus said, trotting slowly over to the breakfast line, where he grabbed a bowl of cereal and brought it back to his seat. He was hungry, he knew, but all throughout the meal, Nimbus never took a single bite.


	7. The Dizzitron

_The Dizzitron_

_"I trust you read your Dizzitron recovery text?" _

_ Nimbus winced. "Yes, Polaris. Unlike… last time."_

_ "Good," the old Pegasus said, "then you'll have the opportunity to test your recovery procedures. Right now."_

_ "Wait, I- what?" _

…

Nimbus leaned back in his seat. He and his fellow cadets were on their way to the Wonderbolt Academy. The time had finally come for the test he'd dreaded the most, and Nimbus had never been more apprehensive. He'd caught himself daydreaming, remembering his lesson with Polaris earlier in the day. Now he sincerely wished he hadn't snapped out of it. Nimbus leaned his head on the carriage's window sill and tried to concentrate, bringing back memories of what had happened earlier on.

…

_ Polaris left Nimbus alone on the parade field, in a state of utter confusion. Nimbus knew there was no Dizzitron on the grounds- the cadets wouldn't be taking a trip to the Wonderbolt Academy if there was- so what was his mentor up to? _

_ Moments later, Polaris returned with what appeared to be a large harness, which he began slipping on. Noticing the look of confusion on Nimbus's face, he decided to explain himself._

_ "This, Nimbus, is what ponies used to practice spin recovery before the Dizzitron was invented, and in my opinion, this simulates an actual spin much more effectively."_

_ Nimbus eyeballed the contraption as Polaris tightened a strap around his waist. "With all due respect, Polaris, it's a harness. How is that going to simulate a spin?"_

_ "Well, it's not going to use fancy electronics, that's for sure," Polaris said, giving his harness a quick once over before initiating a hover, "now come on over here and strap yourself in."_

_ Nimbus raised an eyebrow. "Alright then." The rest of the harness hung beneath Polaris by about five feet, and Nimbus secured himself. He couldn't help but notice that all of his restraints were held together with quick-release mechanisms. It was then that Nimbus finally began to get an inkling of what was going to happen next._

_ "Close your eyes, Nimbus," Polaris said, soaring into the sky, "do not open them until I release you!"_

_ Nimbus obeyed, closing his eyes and completely cutting off any visual orientation references. Immediately, he felt himself lurch left, right, upside-down, right-side-up, skidding, whirling, diving, climbing-_

_ "Release!" Polaris called. Instantly, Nimbus was catapulted out into space, where he finally opened his eyes. When he did so, his world was a blur. In a fraction of a second, Nimbus recalled what he'd learned in his maneuvers book. First, detect spin direction, second, stop yawing, or side-to-side motion, third, stop rolling, fourth, regain lost airspeed, and five, recover. In mere milliseconds, Nimbus accomplished his spin checklist and fell into formation flight right next to Polaris. _

_ "Good," the old Pegasus chuckled, "very good. If only those Wonderbolts could see you now."_

_ "They'd laugh," Nimbus said, "I don't think that recovery was anywhere near perfect. I almost stalled coming out of it."_

_ "Very well," Polaris said, "once more, then."_

…

Nimbus picked his head up as the carriages slowed to a halt. Outside, he could see the telltale obstacle courses and runway- they were finally at the Wonderbolt Academy.

"Alright," he heard Dusk Shine call from the lead carriage, "cadets, come out and follow me."

Nimbus stepped down from the carriage and was immediately overcome by a wave of emotion. Everything was exactly as it had been when he'd left the place. Not a single thing had changed. It was as if he'd just left. Turning his head downward, Nimbus followed Dusk Shine as Storm Runner caught up to him.

"Hey there," Storm Runner said, "uh… yeah, this is probably really awkward for you, isn't it?"

"You have no idea," Nimbus sighed, "I just want to get the Dizzitron done and go back as soon as possible."

Storm Runner looked around at the Wonderbolt Cadets observing the newcomers. Several of them were whispering amongst one another, and a few cast the occasional smirk their way.

"They look like jerks," Storm Runner said. "Maybe you joined up with the right crowd among us after all."

"I appreciate that, Storm Runner," Nimbus said, "but you don't have to sweeten this for me. If I can just get through this day without seeing… her, I'll be fine."

"Her?" Storm Runner asked, confused, "who's that?"

"You'll know when you see her. If you see her."

The answer was cryptic, but Storm Runner accepted it nonetheless. Dusk Shine led the group of cadets out towards a large, circular device positioned to the side of the Academy's runway, where a group of three Wonderbolts were waiting. Nimbus drew in a sharp intake of breath.

"Oh dear Celestia," he hissed, "it just couldn't be an easy day for me, could it?"

"What are you talking about?" Storm Runner said, "just chill. You're going to be fine."

"Cadets, tench-hut!"

Nimbus jerked to attention as Dusk Shine's voice rang out. One of the Wonderbolts trotted over to the group- a pony who looked all too familiar. Nimbus did his best to stay low, though this was nearly impossible while standing rigid. The gold Wonderbolt eyed the cadets through a pair of sunglasses for a moment before she spoke.

"Good morning, cadets. I am Captain Spitfire, the head of flight operations here at the Wonderbolt Academy. For the rest of the day, you will be working your flanks off alongside my own cadets. The machine you see behind me is a Dizzitron. It is not a toy, and it is designed for only one thing- to confuse, disorient, and, in general, mess your sense of direction up. Ponies have been injured on this device, so we take safety very seriously. If you cannot pass the test, or if at any point your maneuver is deemed unsatisfactory, you will fail and retake the test at a later date." Spitfire paused for a moment, eyes locking with Nimbus's. "Retaking the test is a humiliating and degrading experience. Focus, and you won't have to worry about it. That said, this will also be a fun competition. We will be keeping track of the day's fastest recoveries, and while you are not technically Wonderbolts Academy Cadets and cannot qualify for our institution's records, you can certainly challenge those set by your school. I believe the fastest recovery from REAC was... about nine seconds. Beat that today."

Spitfire turned to Dusk Shine and nodded. "Colonel, I'm glad you could make it here today. If you could have your cadets form up by the Dizzitron, we'll get started."

"Absolutely," Dusk Shine replied, turning to the cadets. "Alright, everyone form up by the machine. Let's see if we can't bring home some records today!"

Storm Runner smirked. "Nine seconds? That record's mine."

"You know it's not all about speed, right?" Nimbus said, "going fast won't do you any good if you're flying in an uncontrolled condition."

"Oh don't worry about me," Storm Runner said as he and Nimbus stopped in front of the Dizzitron, "you have your recovery procedures, and I have mine."

Spitfire appeared from out of nowhere, descending from above and landing in front of the Dizzitron as the Wonderbolt cadets gathered around. "Alright," she said, "who's first?"

Before anypony could say anything, a green-maned Wonderbolt cadet stepped up to the machine. "I've got this," he said, clearly boasting, "crank it up to full power."

"Oh this'll be good," Storm Runner said, grinning impishly at the Pegasus being loaded into the Dizzitron's harness. "He's toast and he doesn't even know it."

Behind the cadets, another Wonderbolt pulled a lever on the machine's control panel, and the wheel began to spin, picking up speed. Before long, the cadet was nothing but a blur as he sailed around and around. It was cringe-inducing, to say the least.

"Release!" Spitfire called. The controller cranked another switch back, and the machine stopped suddenly, catapulting the Pegasus out of the harness and into the sky. The cadet tumbled end over end, shooting through the atmosphere like a comet and completely beyond recovering. As he began to sail out of sight, Spitfire sighed and smacked her forehead with a hoof. Evidently watching her own cadets "set the example" by failing outright wasn't the best first impression. "Go get him," she groaned. Another Wonderbolt nodded, taking off after the rapidly-disappearing braggart.

Storm Runner snickered, and Nimbus turned to face him, still slackjawed from what he'd just seen. "Storm? How the hay can you find that funny?"

"Oh come on," Storm Runner chuckled, "you're laughing too, on the inside."

"No I'm not," Nimbus said, "that was a full power spin. That machine…"

"He totally deserved it, though," Storm Runner said. Nimbus nodded.

"Okay, I'll admit you're right with that, but still- I really don't feel good about this all of a sudden."

"Suit yourself," Storm Runner said as another Wonderbolt cadet strapped herself in, "but I'm going right after the lovely mare there."

Nimbus sighed as he drifted off again, remembering the ease with which he'd completed his maneuvers that morning and trying to draw some comfort from it.

…

_Five spins later, Nimbus was already feeling more confident in his ability to recover from a spin. The sun had risen, and he was already feeling hungry for breakfast. Nimbus flew next to Polaris._

_ "I think I've got it now," he hinted, "I'm recovering safely."_

_ "You certainly are," Polaris agreed, "and I'm sure you're anxious to get out of here and grab a bite to eat before heading to the Wonderbolts Academy. However, I'd like to try one more thing. It might help you out during the Cloudsdale Meet."_

_ "Okay," Nimbus said, "what is it, exactly?"_

…

"Okay, that's it- I'm going!"

Contrary to what he'd said earlier, Storm Runner had yet to actually experience the Dizzitron, and had been cut off by others just a bit more eager to get on the machine. Up until now, he'd been silently fuming next to Nimbus. Now he made a beeline for the Dizzitron, standing by the machine and waiting for its unfortunate occupant to be tossed. When the spinning stopped, Storm Runner stepped up, and was promptly cut off again.

"Come on!" he said to the Pegasus that had bypassed him, "are you serio-" Storm Runner froze, recognizing the pony's silver coat and orange mane.

"Hello again, Storm Runner," Sun Blaze said, "getting tired of finishing behind me? I know I'd be getting sick of it."

"Nah," Storm Runner said, trying to shut out his annoyance, "I rather enjoy chasing tail."

Sun Blaze grimaced and Storm Runner found some small satisfaction in the reaction. "You don't intimidate me," Sun Blaze growled as she placed herself in the Dizzitron harness. "By the way," she said, turning now to the controller pony, "I'd like full power."

Hesitantly, the pony turned cranked the lever to full. Nopony had requested the full setting since the "accident" earlier. The wheel spun as it had always done before, and catapulted Sun Blaze into the air on Spitfire's command. The silver pony rocketed through the air, fighting for stability. At just past the runway's threshold, she recovered, snapping to level flight and landing. Spitfire was openmouthed in awe.

"Eight point seven seconds," she called, out, "congratulations, cadet! You hold REAC's new record!" Turning to Dusk Shine, she joked "sir, what are you feeding your cadets and where can I get some?"

"A dash of common sense, Captain," Dusk Shine replied with a grin.

Storm Runner fumed as he strapped himself into the machine, and Nimbus could see him scowling out into the crowd of cadets. "Three quarters power," he mumbled to the controller, "I want to play it safe." The controller cranked the lever and the process started once again. Storm Runner's recovery was dazzling. Instead of fighting the spin as the others had, he corrected his yaw and sped up, turning the spin into a high-speed roll, and then into a loop, arcing gracefully back onto the runway.

"Eight point nine," Spitfire called. Nimbus watched as Storm Runner kicked the runway surface in disappointment at finishing mere fractions of a second behind Sun Blaze.

"I blew it," he said as he approached Nimbus, "that mare's gotten the better of me once again."

"Don't worry," Nimbus said, "you'll have your day. Maybe you can take her out during out next dogfight."

"Yeah…" Storm Runner grumbled, completely unconvinced, "sure."

"Next!"

Nimbus looked up. Nopony was volunteering for the next ride; everypony who'd wanted to go had already done so. Nimbus gulped, and hesitantly raised a hoof. Spitfire saw him immediately.

"Cadet Nimbus? Alright, get up on my Dizzitron, we don't have all day!"

Nimbus's face went red as his fellow cadets looked at him questioningly. The fact that Spitfire knew him was entirely new to them, though nopony knew the reason why. Nimbus breathed deeply as he situated himself in the harness. In the instant before he gave the ready signal, he remembered the technique he'd gone over that morning.

…

_"Polaris," Nimbus said, "with all due respect, how are you so sure this is going to work? The maneuver you specified, performed at high speed like this, should basically dislocate my wings."_

_ Polaris shook his head. "If this maneuver was going to dislocate your wings, I wouldn't have suggested it. If you've been pulling maneuvers like the ones you did during that dogfight all your life, your wings should already be toughened against something like this. That's not to say it won't hurt a bit, but it shouldn't be any different than scuffing your hoof."_

_ "Right," Nimbus said, unconvinced, "let's do this, then."_

…

"Full power," Nimbus said to the controller. What he was about to do could either go very well or terribly wrong. It had worked out during Polaris's spin training, but this was different. He was all too familiar with the Dizzitron; he'd sat in this exact same position three times before. Nimbus felt his stomach drop as the wheel began to rotate. As his speed picked up, he felt heavy, feeling the influence of positive g forces, and noted that his lips were being pulled back from the sheer force of acceleration. Finding any sort of visual reference was impossible now; his entire world was a blur. He was officially disoriented now. He faintly heard Spitfire call "release!" and suddenly he shifted from constrained, circular motion to being flung bodily into the air. Everything after release happened quickly, but to Nimbus, the moment seemed frozen in time.

He had left the Dizzitron at high speed and was tumbling front-first. In addition, he could also sense that he was in a tight left roll, with a very slight right yaw. Nimbus shifted his back legs, correcting the yaw while using his wings to stabilize his roll. Now all he had to deal with was his forward tumble. Nimbus braced himself for what he was about to do next. Before he could second-guess himself, he whipped open his wings and extended his legs, presenting as much surface area as possible. His wingtips cut two perfect, white wingtip vortices in the air. Nimbus gritted his teeth as he struggled to keep his wings from folding in from the force against them. Contrary to what Polaris had said, this was nothing like scuffing his hoof. The pain was continuous and sharp, and it felt as if he was being pulled by the wings between two Manticores as some bizarre tug of war. As his airspeed slowed, Nimbus shifted into a dive. He rolled as soon as he was pointed straight down and began to level off, heading straight for the runway. As he entered ground effect, Nimbus controlled his descent, slowly bleeding off altitude until he touched down at a reasonable speed and transitioned to a trot. Everypony nearby was silent. Nimbus looked back. Over the course of the maneuver, he'd only used a quarter of the runway.

Nimbus turned as he heard Spitfire approach. "Cadet Nimbus!" the gold Pegasus barked. Nimbus snapped to attention, afraid he'd done something wrong. Spitfire approached with a scowl that would have sent a dragon home crying. Spitfire stopped in front of the petrified cadet and removed her sunglasses, staring him in the eyes. "Cadet, that was a five point four second run," she smiled, "that is an Academy rec-" Spitfire stopped, wincing as she remembered that Nimbus was no longer one of her cadets. "I mean, that's a REAC record. Well done, Cadet. I'd like to see you in my office when this is over."

Nimbus felt sorry for Spitfire as she left. It wasn't hard to hear the sadness in her tone. He wanted her to know that it was all fine, that he'd moved on, but he couldn't do that now. Storm Runner approached, looking considerably more cheerful than he'd been when Nimbus had volunteered for his turn on the Dizzitron.

"You were awesome!" the blue Pegasus called, "five point four seconds? That's the fastest time today!"

"Thanks," Nimbus said, "good to see you're starting to feel better."

"Oh I feel great," Storm Runner said, "mainly because you totally smoked Sun Bla- uh…"

Nimbus cocked an eyebrow as Storm Runner faded out, then noticed that his friend was gazing wide-eyed and open-mouthed at something right behind him. Nimbus turned around and was only mildly surprised to find Sun Blaze staring him in the face.

"I'm sure you feel pretty good about yourself," she snarled, "you inconsiderate fake. You cheated somehow. I don't know how, but you cheated. You want my advice? Lay low. Because I will be coming for you."

"Yeah," Storm Runner said, "isn't that basically what you said after the dogfight? About this very Dizzitron exam?"

Sun Blaze glowered at Storm Runner, then turned back to Nimbus. "Do you always let your friend speak for you? Are you that much of a coward that you can't speak directly to me?"

Nimbus sighed. "You want me to speak to you? Okay. If I'm going to be honest, I don't see any reason why you have to be so grumpy all the time. You're practically at the head of the class, you've almost certainly got an Aviator slot lined up when you graduate… why do you care if I try my best?"

Sun Blaze didn't answer. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, and turned away, grumbling to herself.

"That went well," Storm Runner quipped.

"Indeed," Nimbus said, watching as the last cadet flew shakily down to the runway. Dusk Shine was taking over now, herding the cadets over to a line of picnic tables near the mess hall, where some food had been set. Spitfire, meanwhile, was headed back to the main building.

"Come on," Storm Runner said, "let's go grab some chow."

"You go ahead," Nimbus said, "I've got an appointment I need to keep."

…

_ "Well done," Polaris said as Nimbus rolled into formation next to him. The orange Pegasus winced as he gazed at his mentor. _

_ "Was that really necessary?" he asked, "my wings feel like a dragon's been chewing on them."_

_ "Oh it wasn't necessary," Polaris said, "you had the normal recovery fine, but if you really want to set a good impression, do exactly what you just did."_

_ "Alright," Nimbus said as the two landed back on the dew-laden field. _

_ "Good luck today," Polaris said, extending his hoof towards Nimbus, "I know you'll do just fine."_

_ "Thank you," Nimbus said, taking Polaris's hoof in his own and shaking it, "I'll let you know how it all turns out."_

_ With that, Nimbus turned and headed into the dining hall for a quick breakfast before boarding the carriage for the Wonderbolt Academy. The biggest challenge he'd faced in a while was about to begin- returning to his old school._

…

Nimbus tried to keep his composure as he stared at the door to Spitfire's office and knocked. The sound sent a chill down his spine. He was repeating the exact steps he performed before his disenrollment.

"Enter," Spitfire called from inside. Nimbus stepped in, snapped to attention, and saluted.

"Ma'am, Cadet Nimbus reports as ordered."

"At ease, cadet," Spitfire said, standing and pacing. Nimbus's eyes followed her, occasionally darting around the room and picking out familiar cues. It was as if he'd traveled back in time and was reliving his worst memory, but this time the circumstances were different.

"I see you wasted no time putting a uniform back on, Cadet Nimbus," Spitfire said finally.

"Yes ma'am," Nimbus answered, "I guess you could say I enjoy the customs and courtesies."

"Right," Spitfire snorted, "and I'm Celestia's long-lost granddaughter. You, sir, are a glutton for punishment. You never had to do what you told me you'd do last year. You could have gone for the easy life. Instead, here you are. You beat the Dizzitron, you're wearing the uniform… you're not even back at my Academy for a day and you're turning heads on the Wonderbolts team."

Nimbus felt his spirit surge. "Really, ma'am?"

Spitfire nodded. "Soarin' and I had a bet that you'd get the fastest time. We ended up raking in several bits from the others as a result."

Nimbus couldn't believe his ears, but did his best to keep his excitement contained. Professionalism first, after all. Spitfire pulled open her desk drawer and reached in, taking out something that nearly made Nimbus's heart skip a beat- his old Wonderbolt pin.

"I kept this, you know," Spitfire said, "just because I believed in you. Standard procedure is to just throw 'em out, but I figured I hadn't seen the back of you yet, and I was right. Here you are. I just wanted to let you know that I still support you, and I'm still following your progress, and that when you graduate," she held up the pin, its metallic surface gleaming in the light, "I feel this should go to you."

"Ma'am? I- I- but," Nimbus stuttered, completely taken by surprise, "but I'm not a Wonderbolt."

"It doesn't matter," Spitfire said, "this pin doesn't symbolize that anymore. It represents how much you've grown since last year. Think of it as an incentive… if graduating as an Aviator isn't incentive enough, that is."

"Yes, ma'am," Nimbus said, feeling himself choke up, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Rumor has it you're REAC's competitor for the Cloudsdale Meet, too," Spitfire added, "so I suppose it's fair to warn you that I'll be watching you like a hawk," she winked, "you know, from one competitor to another."

"You're competing, ma'am?"

Spitfire nodded, "I certainly am, as the Wonderbolts' representative. We have an Academy rep as well. Soarin' is working with her now."

"Yes ma'am," Nimbus said. He had no idea what else he could say to such a statement. Spitfire trotted past him and opened her door.

"Now," she said, "let's get you to lunch. And if you don't mind, I'd like to find out how you managed to kick the flank of every last one of my cadets with that recovery of yours…"


	8. Friendship and Research

_Friendship and Research_

"They've done it again!"

Nimbus looked up from a particularly challenging math problem, his concentration now completely broken.

"Storm Runner, somepony better have died, because this assignment is due tomorrow."

Storm Runner stared blankly at Nimbus. "That… is not funny at all."

Nimbus almost choked "er… wrong phrase, wrong time? Darn, I'm sorry. What's going on?"

Storm Runner trotted up to Nimbus and placed the day's newspaper down on top of his homework. One glance, and it wasn't hard for Nimbus to tell exactly what his friend was talking about. He read the headline aloud.

"Second Awakening bombing in Starswirl Plaza," Nimbus felt his blood run cold. Manehattan's Starswirl Plaza was a hub for vendors and family businesses. The pictures shown on the paper displayed nothing but scorched ground and blackened, twisted stands.

"There's more," Storm Runner said, "read the article."

Nimbus skimmed over the article quickly, reading key points aloud. "Okay, let's see… this morning, one culprit, used a magically-activated explosive device, destroyed the plaza, nine dead, fifty-two wounded, suspect dead… hang on." Nimbus squinted, focusing on part of the article. "The culprit was positively I.D'ed?"

"Yeah," Storm Runner said, "and get this- the culprit was a vendor. The ponies who knew him said he never killed so much as a butterfly, and yet for some reason, he decides to go blow up a plaza full of civilians. When the city guards went through his stuff, they found tons of gear and correspondence related to the Awakening."

"You mean that group that wants Celestia to step down?"

"Exactly," Storm Runner nodded. "This guy was one of them, living a normal life, hiding in plain sight. You know what this means?"

"What?" Nimbus said, confused.

"It means that any one of us could be one of these "Awakening" ponies. Hay, for all I know, _you _could be one! Just think about how many ponies are at this college. If just one is sympathetic to that… twisted cause-"

"Hang on there," Nimbus said, holding up a hoof, "I don't think there's any reason to be paranoid about this."

"I'm not being paranoid," Storm Runner said, defending himself, "I'm simply being cautious. Listen, Nimbus, I'm telling you- whatever's going down now, this is just the beginning." He squinted his eyes at Nimbus's homework. "I was going to suggest we go to the library and see if we can't dig up some information on why these crazies are doing what they're doing, but it seems you're occupied."

"Sure am," Nimbus said, scratching out some more figures with his pencil.

"Well, I finished that four hours ago," Storm Runner said, pushing up a chair, "let me see if I can help you with it."

"In other words, you want me to get this done so we can start off on some crazy crusade against the Awakening?" Nimbus said as Storm Runner seated himself. His friend grinned.

"You know me so well."

Nimbus sighed. "Fine, I guess it's worth getting some extra instruction on this work, anyway."

…

Four hours of book-delving in the school library later, Nimbus and Storm Runner were struggling to keep their eyes open. Nimbus's face, in fact, had been hovering less than an inch off of the pages of a copy of _Myths and_ _Legends of Equestria _for the past half an hour. Only the sound of approaching hoofsteps managed to shake him from his near-slumber.

"Cadet Nimbus? Cadet Storm Runner?"

Nimbus turned his head and fixed his bleary eyes on the pony approaching. It was Crescent Star, the school's Unicorn librarian, pulling a cart of books.

"What are you two doing up here? I mean I understand that schoolwork comes first, but-" Crescent glanced at a wall clock, "it's just past midnight!"

"We had some important research we were working on," Storm Runner said.

"Hmm…" Crescent Star said, frowning, "I don't recall hearing about any upcoming research projects."

"Well, it's more like research done on our own time," Nimbus said, hoping he was making at least a shred of sense. Crescent Star's eyes practically lit up at the response.

"Really?! Two students seeking out knowledge on their own, without the incentive of grades? Such a thing is completely unheard of, but-" she paused, catching her breath, "I am overjoyed! Please let me know if there is any way I can assist you two!"

Nimbus hadn't been expecting this response, and evidently Storm Runner hadn't either. The blue Pegasus looked like he'd just seen a ghost.

"Well, ma'am," Nimbus said slowly, "we're actually trying to find out whatever we can about the group calling themselves the Awakening."

"I see," Crescent Star said, her voice becoming solemn, losing all traces of the bubbling excitement she'd shown only a few moments ago, "those poor souls at Starswirl Plaza… what could drive a pony to commit such unspeakable acts?"

"That's what we're trying to find out, ma'am," Storm Runner said, "is there any way for us to find out more about this group?"

"I'm afraid not," Crescent said, "or at least not from any books I have here. You're not the first, either. One of your fellow cadets was in here looking for the same information. Sun Blaze, I believe."

Storm Runner's jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Oh yes, but unfortunately I had no help to offer her. You see we don't have any books on the subject."

"I guess not," Nimbus said, "I mean the group's only been around for a few months."

"Well, I wouldn't bet on that," Crescent Star said, placing a few of the books in her cart on nearby shelves, "something like this- something with a cause tied to such an old legend like the Mare in the Moon… I have a feeling it goes farther back than you think. Call it a hunch, but that's my opinion."

"But if the Awakening is that old, surely there must be some information on it somewhere," Nimbus pressed. Crescent Star shook her head.

"No, if it was in one of these books, I would've seen it by now. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do." Crescent turned to leave, then stopped. "Actually, colts, there might be a resource after all…"

"What is it?" Nimbus asked.

"Not what," Crescent Star said with a smile, "who."

…

"Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty!"

Nimbus raised himself out of the wing-up position, and Storm Runner did the same. Polaris eyed the two with interest.

"You two were slower today than usual. Long night?"

"You might say that," Nimbus said, yawning. Storm Runner, promoted by now to Nimbus's secondary coach, nodded.

"Actually, we were looking for some information in the library."

"Ah," Polaris said, setting off on the group's routine morning gallop, "and I trust you found what you were looking for?"

"Actually, no," Nimbus said, catching up to Polaris, "we were trying to find information on the Awakening."

Polaris visibly shuddered at the mention of the group. "You won't find any books on them. They were supposed to be a forgotten, dark secret of Equestria's past."

"Well that's nothing if not cryptic," Storm Runner pointed out. Polaris chuckled, but his face was dead serious.

"I know a thing or two," he admitted, "mostly just information I picked up over the years. Nothing necessarily reliable, of course; it's all "I heard it from so and so who heard it from someone else" information."

Polaris paused to jump the safety fence blocking the takeoff hill. Once the Pegasi were airborne, he continued.

"From what I understand, the Awakening were extremely loyal subjects to Nightmare Moon."

"Nightmare Moon?" Nimbus interrupted, "who's that?"

"Ah yes," Polaris said, banking and altering his course to fly over the campus, "I sometimes forget that her true name is known to only a few. Centuries of legends will do that, I suppose. You'd know her as the Mare in the Moon."

Nimbus rolled level, flying in smooth formation next to Storm Runner. "The Mare in the Moon? Then she's not a myth?"

"I don't know," Polaris said, "the Awakening believe she exists, but the events surrounding Nightmare Moon are shrouded in mystery. Nopony can really know for sure who she was, with the exception of Celestia."

"Right," Nimbus said, swooping low over the main hall, "because she was the one who banished her."

"Do you think she's really coming back?" Storm Runner cut in.

The Pegasi landed in the courtyard, forming up into a circle to begin stretching. As Polaris stretched his wings, he spoke.

"It's hard to say. The Nightmare Moon myth is almost entirely based in true historical events. For example, we know that Celestia banished a pony from Equestria right around the time her sister went missing. We also know that the pony she banished led some sort of uprising against her. Can she come back? All banishments end eventually, but the Mare in the Moon would have to be immortal or at least have magically-slowed aging to survive for one thousand years. One thing is certain- if she comes back, she'd need help. Breaking a spell like Celestia's would require an immense amount of magic."

Nimbus sighed as he stretched his back legs, "well, that makes me feel better," he admitted, "so she can't come back on her own?"

"It's very unlikely," Polaris said. "By the way- why all the interest in this subject now?"

Storm Runner was flexing and "stretching," striking a few heroic poses as a group of mares passed by on their way to breakfast. When Polaris posed his question, Storm Runner turned back to him. "We're trying to figure out just what the hay is going on with the Awakening right now. Did you hear about the attack yesterday?"

Polaris nodded, "Starswirl Plaza, and this one was more violent than the first."

"We just want to find out what their goal is," Nimbus said, standing and shaking his mane, "for all we know, we could be dealing with them when we graduate."

"I commend that," Polaris said, "although I hope you won't have to."

Nimbus turned and headed for the dining hall after bidding Polaris a good morning. As he entered the building, he could see the sun coming up again. Princess Celestia was hard at work as usual, and he could almost forget that anything could possibly be wrong with the world. The breakfast line was serving baked apples, and Nimbus's mouth started watering as soon as he found out. Grabbing a plate of the delicious treats, he took a seat at a bench in the corner of the hall. Storm Runner sat down beside him.

"These apples are delicious," Nimbus said, devouring the warm, cinnamon-sprinkled fruit, "perfectly in season."

"Agreed," Storm Runner said, digging into the apples voraciously. The two were so occupied by their breakfasts that they didn't even notice when a mare paused behind them- the last pony they'd expected to see here.

"Stuffing your faces, colts? You two seem to be positively _radiating _with professionalism."

Nimbus froze at the sound of the familiar, sarcastic bite in the mare's tone. He turned around slowly, hoping he was wrong about who he was about to see. He had no such luck. The silver-coated, orange-maned form of Sun Blaze was staring smugly down at him.

"May I ask what you want?" Nimbus said through clenched teeth, his mane bristling. Sun Blaze smirked, driving his blood pressure up even more.

"I get around," she said, "and it seems you two had the same idea I did. You want to know more about the Awakening, and so do I. As much as I hate to admit it, we have a common cause. I can help you two out."

Nimbus's jaw almost hit the floor, and Storm Runner was equally startled. "Okay," the blue Pegasus said, "give me one good reason why I should believe you're not about to flip our table."

"Oh believe me- we are anything but friends. I still would like nothing better than to floor both of you brainless know-it-alls-"

"Umm… know-it-alls generally aren't brainless," Nimbus pointed out.

"Shut up," Sun Blaze snapped, "don't make this harder for me. I still hate both of you with every fiber of my being, but there's strength in numbers, especially when something as serious as the Awakening could be affecting this very campus…"

Nimbus raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Depends," Sun Blaze sniffed, "do I get to join your little team or not?"

Nimbus looked to Storm Runner, who shrugged, then looked back to Sun Blaze. "Give us a moment," he said finally. Sun Blaze retreated, and Nimbus and Storm Runner spoke in whispers.

"This seem fishy at all to you?" Storm Runner asked.

"No, surprisingly," Nimbus answered, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but she actually seemed genuine."

"I was afraid you'd say that. I still feel uneasy about this."

"Look," Nimbus reasoned, "maybe she's a great pony. Perhaps all she needs is some friends. We could help her out!"

"Right," Storm Runner said, "and if that doesn't work, we at least drive her up the wall. Okay, I'm in."

Nimbus lifted his head and nodded to Sun Blaze. The silver mare approached, with an annoying grin spread across her face. "So how was your little secret conversation, then?" she asked, mocking them with a childish voice.

"It went well," Nimbus replied evenly, "in fact, you can join us in our little quest."

"Good," Sun Blaze said, down to seriousness now, "then you two need to meet me in the library after classes are done. This is much bigger than either of you realize."

…

"I still think this is crazy," Storm Runner said as he and Nimbus trotted to the library, "I mean seriously- odds are we're both about to be the butt of some huge and embarrassing prank."

"Hey," Nimbus pointed out, "you agreed, did you not? Prank or not, we have to trust her."

Storm Runner groaned. "Celestia, now I really think I've lost you, Nimbus. A week ago, you'd never even have considered this."

"Well, I'm hooked on this whole Awakening thing now," Nimbus said, "and we're seeing it through to the end."

Arriving at the library, the two Pegasi stepped inside, scanning the room. Sun Blaze, as Storm Runner had expected, was nowhere in sight.

"Told you," Storm Runner scoffed, "brace yourself because we're probably about to have a bucket of ice water dropped on-"

"So you two came after all."

Sun Blaze trotted out from between a row of book shelves, regarding Nimbus and Storm Runner coolly. "I have to say," she confided, "I didn't really think you two would show."

"Oh believe me, we'd just as soon not be here," Storm Runner growled.

"Yeah, heard it before," Sun Blaze countered, sitting down at a nearby table and beckoning for the stallions to join her, "I don't exactly like dealing with you two morons either, but we're apparently on the same track here."

"And that is?" Nimbus said pulling up a chair and staring Sun Blaze in the face.

"You must be joking," Sun Blaze deadpanned, "how much idiot milk did you have with your stupid flakes this morning? The Awakening, brainless. I thought that might have been obvious from our little chat earlier, but apparently not."

Nimbus felt a hoof collide swiftly with his leg under the table. Storm Runner was shooting him a "well done, genius," look. Nimbus cleared his throat and turned back to Sun Blaze.

"Okay," he said, "earlier you said this whole situation was much bigger than we thought. What makes you say that?"

Sun Blaze placed her saddlebag on the table and pulled out an old, cracked, black book. Emblazoned on the cover was a solid silver crescent moon. Nimbus hadn't seen anything like it- the book looked ancient.

"Bet you didn't find this in the library the other night," Sun Blaze said, opening the book carefully. The binding almost seemed to squeak like a rusty door hinge. "This book is over a thousand years old, and to my knowledge, it is the only copy that exists to this day. Our dear ruler, Princess Celestia, had all the others burned." Noting Nimbus's and Storm Runner's raised eyebrows, she continued. "Oh, you didn't know Her Highness has her own little secrets? Well let me be the first to tell you- she isn't exactly clean herself. This book was the doctrine of the Awakening. A copy was given to every single family involved; its contents were to be passed from generation to generation. When Celestia found out they'd been created, she ordered them destroyed. There's dark stuff in here."

"So… how did you figure that out?" Storm Runner scoffed, "you just went up to the first Awakening member and asked him? That it?"

"Actually, the first member was a mare," Sun Blaze corrected him, sliding the book in his direction, "and no, I did not ask her. It's called page one."

Storm Runner scrutinized the book, skimming through the contents of the first page. With each successive sweep of his eyes, his jaw dropped a little farther. Finally, he pushed the book back to Sun Blaze. "So," he said, "this is really the real deal, then. The original families of the Awakening passed membership down, presumably until the present day."

"Correct," Sun Blaze said.

"Which means members could be anypony, anywhere," Nimbus added.

"Two points to Captain Obvious," Sun Blaze answered, "and it just so happens that we may have our own little subgroup here at this school."

Nimbus's ears perked up. A subgroup at the Royal Equestrian Air College could be disastrous. The Academy housed several high-ranking members of the Equestrian military, and with close proximity to Canterlot, an advantageous position for somepony wishing to do Celestia harm.

"A subgroup?" he asked, "and you're sure about that?"

"Not entirely, but I've been tailing them for a while now. Two are in the Aviator program like us."

"Well don't leave us in suspense," Storm Runner said, "who are they?"

Sun Blaze flicked her mane casually. "I'm not ready to put my full trust in you two yet. We've only just met. For now, go about your normal lives, but be cautious. Remember what we've discussed, and look for any indications about who might be involved with the Awakening."

"What kind of indications are we looking for?" Nimbus asked. Sun Blaze dropped the book unceremoniously in his lap, forcing the poor Pegasus to gasp as the wind was knocked out of him.

"You will find those indications in this book," Sun Blaze answered, "and by the way- I'd be careful with that if I were you. It's technically illegal to possess one. Good day."

Without another word, Sun Blaze dismissed herself and exited the library; Nimbus hastily grabbed the book and stuffed it into his backpack, knocking over a stack of books next to him.

"Yeah, that's not conspicuous at all," Storm Runner said, commenting on his friend's attempt at sneakiness.

"What the hay was that all about?" Nimbus said, ignoring his friend's comment, "she shows up for five minutes, spills her guts about all of this Awakening mumbo jumbo, leaves us with a really old, really illegal book, not bothering to tell us where she got it, and just walks away."

"Well, I propose we make the most of this," Storm Runner said. "She's on our side, that much is certain, and now we have a book that'll tell us exactly how to find out who among us is an incognito terrorist, so I say we read up, hone our pony ninja skills, and go prank these suckers."

Nimbus could barely speak. He simply stared at Storm Runner. "Pony ninja skills?" he said finally, "Storm Runner, are you okay?"

"Yep," Storm Runner said, a bit too hastily, "totally cool here. I am just okey-dokey."

"Okay then," Nimbus said, hesitantly, as he stood up, "because you're talking the way you do when you think you've got a crush on somepony."

"Are you suggesting I- oh Celestia, Nimbus, no. Not _her! _Uh-uh. Nope. If I had it my way, I'd tie that pompous little weasel up and throw her off the mountain. Satisfied?"

Nimbus shot his friend a crooked smile. "Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

The two ponies left the library abuzz with chatter, but despite the lighthearted mood, Nimbus couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. He was carrying a dark book- something so evil Celestia herself had ordered others like it to be destroyed; things had suddenly become serious. Only a day ago, he'd been a spectator to the frightening events that were unfolding throughout Equestria. Now, for better or worse, he'd become a part of them.


	9. Coming Home

_Coming Home_

Nimbus sat back in his seat as, at the front of the classroom, Dusk Shine went over Royal Equestrian Air Force history. He respected his teacher, and was interested in the subject, but his mind was elsewhere today. Last night, the campus had received its first snowfall. It hadn't been much- a light sprinkling at best- but the sight had filled Nimbus with warmth. Hearth's Warming Eve was coming, and with it, winter break. He'd be going home to see his family for the first time since summer. There would be long nights to come, filled with games, fires in the fireplace, gift-giving, and perhaps the most delightful of all- chess pie. Nimbus licked his lips as he thought about the sugary cornmeal treat. He could almost taste it right now. His daydreams were cut short by a swift kick to the back of his seat. Nimbus shook himself from his stupor. Dusk Shine was gazing intently at him, and with a sinking feeling, Nimbus realized that he'd been asked a question.

"Could you… please repeat the question, sir?" Nimbus asked as respectfully as possible. Dusk Shine smiled.

"I would love to," Dusk Shine said, "but judging by the look on your face, I feel the question should probably be adjusted accordingly. Tell me, Nimbus- was it gumdrops or candy canes you were thinking about?"

The class went into a complete uproar and Nimbus blushed as Dusk Shine chuckled to himself. "You've got to have a little fun when your job has you in a classroom all day," he admitted as the laughter died down, "but as I was saying, Nimbus, can you tell us how the REAF was used during the attack on Manehattan Bay during the Great Griffon War?"

Nimbus was relieved. The question had been plucked directly from last night's reading. "Yes sir," he answered, "the Pegasi were sent around the attacking Griffon force in an effort to circle around and attack from behind. The Griffons, however, moved too quickly, and by the time the REAF reached Manehattan Bay, very few forces were left to actually attack. The maneuver was a failure because planners did not consider the Griffons' speed and skill in offensive actions."

Dusk Shine nodded, "well done, Nimbus. I can see you did your reading. Still, I'd suggest you try to pay a little more attention. You've only got a few more hours to go here."

"Yes sir," Nimbus said, straightening up in his seat. One thing was certain- the next hour of class was going to be long indeed.

…

"So, your plans for the holidays?"

Storm Runner caught up to Nimbus as the orange Pegasus exited his last class for the day. Nimbus greeted him with a nod and a smile.

"Heading back home to Hollow Shades," Nimbus answered, "my family's renting a cabin for Hearth's Warming Eve. Real mountainside stuff, as if I hadn't had enough of that recently."

"No kidding," Storm Runner said, "although this mountain's probably got a bit less vegetation than what you see in Hollow Shades. How did you do on your last final?"

"Aced it," Nimbus said, gesturing dramatically with his hoof, "by which I mean it was a ninety-four percent. Buy hey- an "A" is an "A" am I right?"

"You are indeed," Storm Runner chuckled.

"I finally feel good," Nimbus admitted as they crossed the bridge to the campus, "just a few months ago, I was beating myself up over the Wonderbolts Academy. Now, I'd say things are really looking up."

"Well I for one am glad to hear you say that," Storm Runner said, "especially because it's better to have an awesome roommate than a moody one."

"Oh shut it," Nimbus said. A sudden rush of air announced the arrival of a Pegasus behind the two ponies. They turned and were greeted by none other than Sun Blaze.

"Hello again, colts," Sun Blaze said drily, "been doing your research?"

Nimbus thought back to the Awakening book she'd given them to read through. The writing was nothing if not disturbing, but also somewhat interesting. He and Storm Runner had read the book cover to cover twice now.

"We've read the book, if that's what you mean," Nimbus said.

"And? Seen any signs of Awakening activity here?"

"Signs like what?" Storm Runner said, "ponies muttering mystical mumbo jumbo? Secret hoofshakes? Or perhaps my favorite- public displays of rebellion? Sorry, can't say I have."

Sun Blaze fixed Storm Runner with a glare. "This isn't exactly funny, you know. I came across a lunar seal in the lower regions of the school yesterday. That's some serious magic. Somepony was attempting to contact Nightmare Moon herself."

"I understand the seriousness," Nimbus said, "but honestly… what are we going to do about it? We're all going off-campus in the next few hours."

Sun Blaze shrugged. "Just remain vigilant, that's all. Chances are if somepony with the Awakening doesn't know we're on to them yet, they will soon, and the last thing I need is for you two chuckleheads to wind up dead because the Awakening sees you as a threat."

"Right," Nimbus said, "well I'll do that… while I stay with my family in a very secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere."

Sun Blaze stared at him with a look of utter seriousness.

"-where nopony would have a chance of finding me," Nimbus finished.

"Well, let's hope so," Sun Blaze sighed. "Don't die on break."

"Merry Hearth's Warming Eve to you too," Storm Runner called out as Sun Blaze took off, heading for the carriages lined up to take the cadets to either Canterlot's train station or directly to Cloudsdale. Storm Runner nodded towards the carriages.

"Well, I'm off to Cloudsdale. Have a great holiday, Nimbus."

"You too," Nimbus said, raising a wing, "wing slap!"

The two Pegasi smacked their wings together, then lowered them again. Storm Runner turned back as he headed for his carriage.

"Oh, and-" he tried his best to imitate Sun Blaze, "don't die."

Nimbus broke down laughing as his friend boarded his carriage. Nimbus collected himself and hopped into his own carriage, filled with cadets and civilian students alike, chattering about their holiday plans. It wasn't long before Nimbus joined them, settling into a holiday-induced trance of cheerfulness.

…

Nimbus glanced back as his train departed Hollow Shades station. The only students left on the train were heading farther east, to Manehattan, and Nimbus didn't envy them. It was already nearly two in the morning, and he was exhausted. Adjusting his saddlebag, Nimbus headed to the opposite side of the station, where his parents were supposedly waiting. Rounding the corner, Nimbus had no time to react as a grey blur impacted him to the chest and practically pinned him to the ground.

"Nimbus!" a shrill voice squeaked. Nimbus looked up just in time to see the beaming face of Whirlwind, his younger brother.

"Hey there!" Nimbus said, cheerfully ruffling his brother's mane, "where are Mom and Dad?"

"They're coming!" Whirlwind said, helping Nimbus up, "you wanna know what? Today was my last day in school! I'm halfway done with first grade!"

Nimbus smiled as he and his brother started walking, "you look the part too, Whirly. I swear it's like every time I see you, you've grown a couple feet taller. Why, you're gonna be taller than me before you know it."

Nimbus spotted his parents seated on a bench a short distance away. Neither was looking his way. He nudged Whirlwind and held a hoof to his lips. "Hey, why don't we surprise Mom and Dad, eh?"

Whirlwind nodded excitedly, and Nimbus grinned. "Climb up on my back."

Whirlwind sat on Nimbus's back, hooking his leg into the strap of Nimbus's saddlebag. "Okay," he whispered, "let's go!"

Nimbus pushed himself off the ground, launching vertically into the air and accelerating.

"Wow, you got fast!" Whirlwind said, giggling with delight.

"It's one of the many perks of Aviation Training School," Nimbus said matter-of-factly, "now hold on tight!"

Without any further warning, Nimbus rolled inverted and dove straight down towards the ground, spreading his wings and slowing his descent in a few short feet right in front of his parents, Updraft and Comet Stream. The two Pegasi drew back in surprise, then broke into beaming smiles as they realized who they were staring at.

"Nimbus, it's so good to see you!" Comet Stream, his mother, said, wrapping her hooves around him in a hug. Whirlwind quickly slid off Nimbus's back in attempt to avoid what he felt for sure was about to become a major cootie hotspot. Nimbus hugged back, suddenly realizing how much he'd missed his parents. It had been seven months of hard work, and he'd barely had time to focus on them at all. Now, seeing them here in front of him, made him realize how much he'd completely dismissed his normal life.

"Hey, buddy," Updraft said, stepping forward and taking Nimbus in a bear hug, "it's good to see you again."

"Good to see you too, Dad," Nimbus said, trying hard to fight back his urge to choke up. His father released him, and Whirlwind, deciding that the zone was once again cootie-free, took his place by Nimbus's side.

"Well, let's head to the cabin," Comet Stream said, "I'm sure we've all got a lot to talk about."

"Absolutely," Nimbus nodded, and he and his parents set off into the night.

…

The cabin wasn't spectacularly huge. Cozy would have been a better way to describe it. It had two bedrooms connected to a large main room where a pine tree was placed, festooned with ornaments. Near the tree was a couch, just big enough for the family of four, and in another corner was a small kitchen. It wasn't much, but Nimbus felt he preferred it that way. Civilization, at its closest, was ten miles away, and he couldn't wait to wake up to hot chocolate, snowball fights, and sledding.

"This is it," Updraft said, turning on the kitchen lights. "Nimbus, you'll be sharing a room with Whirlwind."

"Alright!" Whirlwind shouted, and Nimbus laughed.

"Hoofbump, Whirly," he said, holding out his hoof. Whirlwind took the opportunity hoofbumped his brother with all his might. Nimbus feigned injury, taking his hoof back and shaking it.

"Whew, that was some hoofbump. You're getting pretty strong there."

"Alright, colts," Comet said, "it's been a long day for both of you, I'm sure. Time for you two to head to bed."

Nimbus yawned, the day's hours suddenly falling on him at once. "That sounds like an excellent idea. Goodnight Mom, goodnight Dad."

"Goodnight Nimbus," his parents echoed. Nimbus trotted into his room where Whirlwind had already set up a pillow fort on the top bunk of the bed.

Nimbus pretended not to notice his brother's characteristic black mane poking up from behind the pillows and set to work organizing his belongings. "It's odd," he said to himself as he brushed his teeth, "I could swear Whirly was just here a few minutes ago." Shaking his head, Nimbus spit into the sink and trotted back over to the bed. Pausing, he looked up at the tuft of black, grinning. Nimbus reached up to grab one of the concealing pillows with his teeth, and promptly received a snowball to the flank for the trouble.

"Gotcha!"

Nimbus turned around in total surprise. Whirlwind was standing behind him with an impish grin on his face. "What?" Nimbus spluttered, "but how did you-?"

Deciding to find out for himself, Nimbus grabbed the pillow and took it down. Behind it was a strategically-placed mop, the same color as Whirlwind's mane. Nimbus nodded. "Very clever. I'd ask how you managed to get a snowball in here, but that's probably a trade secret."

"Sure is!" Whirlwind said, climbing up on his bunk as Nimbus turned off the light. Nimbus climbed into his own bed. The mattress was hard and the frame was short, but it didn't matter. He was home with family. As he closed his eyes, Nimbus heard Whirlwind utter one more quick statement.

"Hey Nimbus? I'm glad you're home."

Smiling, Nimbus whispered, "so am I, Whirly. So am I."

…

The next morning went by in a blur. Just as Nimbus had predicted, it was just like Hearth's Warming Eve every previous year. The family drank hot chocolate and Nimbus brought them up to speed on his progress at REAC, while Whirlwind told Nimbus every detail he could muster about his experiences in his small first grade class in Hollow Shades' schoolhouse. It was like a dream. No work to worry about, no responsibilities- just family. At the moment, Nimbus was finishing up a slice of buttery toast with apple jelly as his brother explained his latest plans.

"All my friends are going to be out on Hoofbreaker Slope this morning," Whirlwind said between bites, "they'll be sledding. Can I go meet them? Please?"

Comet Stream sighed "I really wish you wouldn't call it that."

Whirlwind shrugged, "but everypony calls it Hoofbreaker, Mom."

"We have some errands to run today," Updraft said, walking by the table, "although… Nimbus, would you mind taking your brother sledding?"

"Me? Sure," Nimbus answered. Whirlwind was practically bouncing with joy.

"You're coming, Nimbus? This is gonna be so awesome!"

Nimbus laughed, "sure is." Turning to his parents, he added, "I guess we'll be out at Hoofbreaker for the day, if you need to find us."

"Of course," Updraft said, "we'll see you two later."

Nimbus excused himself from the table, washing his plate in the small sink. He then trotted over to the door, waiting for Whirlwind to finish up. The colt finished the rest of his toast in seconds, and was at the door faster than Nimbus had seen most of his fellow cadets run.

"Be safe out there," Comet added as Nimbus cracked the door open. Nimbus looked back with a mischievous grin.

"Mom, it's me we're talking about here. What could possibly go awry?"

…

Nimbus banked left and descended, flying over the famous sled run known to Hollow Shades' locals as Hoofbreaker Slope. Whirlwind was flying beside him, somewhat unsteadily. The colt had learned to fly only a year previous. Nimbus smiled as they passed over a group of foals boarding a toboggan sled.

"Huh, looks exactly the same way as I remember it," he said.

"I can't wait to do this!" Whirlwind said, "are you ready with the sled?"

Nimbus pulled the sled he'd been carrying off his back. "Ready. Hop in when you're ready."

Whirlwind flew into the sled and positioned himself at the front. "Let's go!"

Nimbus tipped forward and initiated a dive, heading straight for the mountain's peak. As he passed the peak, Nimbus leveled off slowly, until he was right over the snowy slope. Then, he folded his wings in and dropped into the sled behind his brother.

"Yeehaw!" Nimbus whooped as he and his brother sailed past the other ponies getting ready for sled runs of their own. They were sliding downhill and still accelerating, and Nimbus was using his wings in an attempt to keep the little sled on course. By now, Nimbus and Whirlwind looked like nothing more than a small, white meteor hurtling downhill, trailing a snowy wake. Other ponies sledding by at normal speeds looked on in awe as they passed. Nimbus simply greeted their stares with a smile and wave. Up ahead, Nimbus could see the hill leveling off, and nudged his brother.

"Hang on!" he said, ending up with a mouthful of snow in the brief time it took to speak those few words. Nimbus twisted his wings, wrenching the sled to one side, and leaned away from the skid, forcing the sled's friction to stop it. Unfortunately, nature had other plans, and had placed a rather large snow bank in their path. Realizing they had no time to slow down, Nimbus grabbed Whirlwind.

"Bail out!" he ordered, throwing Whirlwind into the air fractions of a second before he ran headfirst into the freezing cold pile of snow. Whirlwind floated down gently using his wings, and stopped to look around. Nimbus was nowhere to be seen, but there was a suspicious-looking hole in the snowbank they'd been headed for.

Without warning, Nimbus popped out of the snow like a whale breaching the surface.

"Aagh! Cold!" he hissed, teeth chattering. Whirlwind rolled around laughing, and received a snowball to the side for the trouble. Packing up some snow of his own, he let fly at his brother.

"Come on," Nimbus said, dodging the snowball, "is that your best?"

Whirlwind took a quick glance to the rear and shook his head. "Nope. I brought backup."

Nimbus's gaze shifted to where Whirlwind had been looking. Several colts and fillies behind him were already packing their own snowballs. He raised an eyebrow at his younger brother.

"Well-played. I'd say now is a good time for me to run."

Nimbus didn't get more than five hoofsteps before he was nearly buried by a shower of snowballs. He shook his head, spitting out snow as the laughing foals surrounded him.

"You're Nimbus?"

"Are you an Aviator?"

"How many Griffons have you taken down?"

"Can you really breathe fire?"

Nimbus laughed as the questions bombarded him, playing along for a time. Apparently his brother had been quite busy spreading stories about him to his friends.

"No, I'm not an Aviator yet," Nimbus answered, "I haven't downed any Griffons, and I regret to say that I don't breathe fire. What I _do _have, however, is the most awesome brother in the world, and from what I can tell, he's got the coolest friends anypony could ask for. Now- who'd like to hear about the battle of Elderhoof Peak?"

The ponies gathered around excitedly, listening as Nimbus told a story straight from his history lessons, weaving the tale in a way that he hoped made it as engaging as it had been when Polaris told his class the same exact thing. As he chattered away, throwing aside the yoke of seriousness he'd been carrying around for the past few months, he was surprised to find that he missed childhood. Things had been much simpler then. Now, he had more responsibility, and no clues as to what to do with it all. Still, something about the wide-eyed, admiring colts and fillies talking to him filled his heart with pride. Despite everything he'd done; despite all of the mistakes he'd made, these ponies still looked up to him. Nimbus thought long and hard about this as he spent the afternoon sledding with Whirlwind and his friends, and by the time the sun set and the two brothers turned their backs on Hoofbreaker Slope, Nimbus felt confidence knowing that whatever trouble's he'd face in the next few months of school, he would always have others supporting him.

…

Nimbus sipped his mug of coffee as his parents returned from Whirlwind's bedroom. The colt had come home exhausted from his day at the slope, and had fallen asleep no more than thirty minutes after dinner, leaving Nimbus with his parents for the night. Nimbus looked up as Updraft and Comet Stream entered the room.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad. So, am I putting presents under the tree this year?"

Comet Stream chuckled as she sat down on the couch opposite Nimbus with Updraft, pouring the two of them coffee. "Not just yet. Your father and I aren't giving up that role so easily."

Updraft took a long swig of the warm beverage before speaking. "We're really proud of you, Nimbus," he said at last. "Last year, with the Wonderbolt Academy… you scared us. Not because we realized that you couldn't handle what they threw at you, because we knew you could, but because we feared that you'd learn that sometimes things don't come easily to you the hard way. We were afraid that when you came back to us after those four months, you wouldn't be able to recover, and yet here you are."

"Yeah," Nimbus said quietly with a smile, "sometimes I scarcely believe it myself."

"Your brother really looks up to you," Updraft said, "if ever you have any doubt in the coming months, remember that."

"And it's only five more months," Comet added, "you've made it this far. It's time for you to show them all that you have what it takes."

Nimbus finished his coffee, resting his head on the couch. "Of course I will." At the moment, he couldn't wish for a better life. A warm fire, his family around him- he hadn't felt as happy as this in almost three years. Still, a dark cloud seemed to hang over his mind.

"Mom, Dad, what do you think about the Awakening?" he asked hesitantly.

Updraft sighed. "To be honest, I'd hoped they would just fade away after their first bombing, but they haven't. Now there's talk down in Hollow Shades about them. Ponies accusing each other of having secrets, so-and-so saw someone else practicing dark magic, et cetera. The whole thing is a mess. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if their mission was just to turn us all on ourselves."

"It's sad," Comet Stream added, "they think their cause is just, so they'll just keep on hurting innocent ponies to further it. Nimbus, you should be honored that you're going into the military, where you have the ability to do something about ponies like them."

"If I get the chance," Nimbus said, "do you really think they're going to bring back Nightmare Moon?"

Updraft shook his head as he set his coffee down, "I honestly don't know, but if they do, it'll be bad news. There was a reason Celestia didn't just banish her to some remote corner of the world. Rumor has it she's as powerful as our leader herself."

"Don't trouble yourself about that, though," Comet Stream added, "this is not the time. It's Hearth's Warming Eve, for Celestia's sake."

"Of course," Nimbus said, yawning, "you're right."

"Somepony tired?" Comet said.

Nimbus shook his head, but now that he was finally relaxed, he was discovering how much of a toll the day's activity had taken on his strength. He could feel his eyelids drooping, and it was requiring almost too much effort to even keep his head up. "I'm fine, Mom," he said slowly, "just need some more coffee, and… I'll… be…"

Nimbus's head fell back on the couch as he slumbered away. He was completely at peace in the cabin- this "sanctuary" from his daily stresses. Inside, his parents nodded to each other and set out placing gifts under the pine tree, while outside, beautiful, glistening white snowflakes danced down from the sky. Below, the festive lights of Hollow Shades shone with a soft warmth amongst the valley trees, reflecting off the falling snow. The air was still and silent, and for one night, the entire world was completely peaceful. Nimbus slumbered away- he was warm, he was happy, and he was content.

But most of all, he was home.


	10. Battle Scars

_Battle Scars_

Nimbus breathed in the familiar, crisp, cool mountain air as he stepped off the carriage that had just pulled up to the Royal Equestrian Air College and gave a long sigh. After a week and a half with his family, the last place he wanted to be was back here. When he'd first come to this school, he'd seen the towering stone walls as a strong symbol of his rebirth; his chance to make his past right. Now, he was just depressed at the prospect of several more months of work before his goal could be achieved. Nimbus picked up his saddlebag and set off across the snow-covered courtyard, making his way to the bridge that led to his living quarters.

"Cadet Nimbus, welcome back."

Nimbus turned around before stepping onto the bridge. Dusk Shine was approaching behind him.

"Good afternoon, sir," Nimbus responded, maintaining an air of professionalism despite being out of uniform. Dusk Shine followed Nimbus over the bridge.

"I've been in contact with Polaris," the Unicorn said. "He mentioned your training's going well. I for one would like to see REAC get its honor back."

"Absolutely, sir," Nimbus nodded. Dusk Shine went on.

"There's going to be another opportunity coming up soon for you to get a little practice in before the Meet. Are you aware of Operation Indigo?"

Nimbus thought back through his studies, remembering the name. Operation Indigo was a yearly meeting of several Equestrian military units, designed to prepare them for the prospect of war by putting them in war-like scenarios. It was one of the few times Aviators actually got dogfight experience. "I've heard of it, sir, yes," Nimbus answered.

"It's one week for now, and the cadets from our school will be participating. My idea. I'm not expecting you all to blow the competition away, of course. You're all a bit low in the experience department. What I would like to see, though, is some original thinking. Every year the cadets go in full speed, ready for a dogfight, and every year they get their flanks handed to them in the first five minutes."

"Well, sir, I think my classmates and I can figure something out," Nimbus said confidently. Dusk Shine smiled and chuckled.

"Excellent. Then I'll hold you to that. Take care, Nimbus, and get some sleep. There's a run planned for tomorrow morning."

Nimbus nodded as his commander took off towards the main building. His dormitory building loomed ahead, and it wasn't long before Nimbus once again found himself making his way through the ancient stone structure in search of his room.

He was surprised to see that Storm Runner hadn't rushed out to greet him. He'd assumed his friend would have been back earlier. Still, Nimbus reasoned, Storm Runner probably had a fair amount of unpacking to do first. As he approached his dorm room, Nimbus was about to push open the door when he heard sobbing inside- a mare, in fact. Cocking an eyebrow, Nimbus cracked open the door slowly. Storm Runner was sitting on his bed, and Sun Blaze was sitting on Nimbus's bed across from him, crying. At the sound of the creaking door, Storm Runner raised his head.

"Nimbus, good to see you. It's… not the best time."

"No, it's fine," Sun Blaze sniffed, "let him come in."

Hesitantly, Nimbus let himself in. He knew instantly something serious was going on. Mares were not allowed into stallions' dorms, and Sun Blaze was putting herself at risk coming here. "What's going on?" Nimbus asked, cautiously.

Sun Blaze fixed her tear-blurred eyes upon Nimbus. "My- my parents," she said, breaking down into sobs again. "My parents were attacked."

"What?" Nimbus said, "Sun Blaze, I'm so sorry. Why?"

Sun Blaze breathed in, shuddering as sobs racked her body. "When I came home," she began, "it was just like normal. My parents were there to greet me, and we went back to the house for the holidays, just like old times. It was the night before Hearth's Warming Eve when things got strange. I saw… I saw a pony just waiting around outside our house. He'd get up and leave from time to time, but even through the next day, he was there. Just before our Hearth's Warming Eve dinner, I noticed he'd disappeared. When I checked again later, he was still gone. I thought he might have finally gone for good, but I couldn't have been more wrong. He must have come in at night… when I woke up that morning, I went downstairs and waited for my parents. I- I even fixed breakfast for them. After waiting around for two hours, I finally went to go check on them, and that's when I saw them. They were dead- their throats were ritualistically cut, and the pony that did it left the weapon he used."

Sun Blaze reached into her saddlebag and removed a twisted, shining, black knife. "It's all my fault," she choked.

"You can't possibly mean that," Nimbus said, trying to maintain a comforting tone, "that pony had nothing to do with-"

"That pony had everything to do with me!" Sun Blaze barked, "don't you get it? This knife is an Awakening weapon! They knew I was looking into their plans! I don't know how, but somehow they found out."

Nimbus went stone cold. What Sun Blaze had said made sense, though he didn't want to believe it, and if what she said was true, then he and Storm Runner were in just as much danger.

"How would they have known?" Nimbus asked, shaking his head.

"About us?" Sun Blaze whispered, "it's a long story."

"We have time, if telling it will help you," Storm Runner said.

Sun Blaze stood, beckoning for Nimbus to take a seat on his bed while she addressed them. "So neither of you two ever wondered why I had that book about the Awakening in the first place?" The stallions shook their heads and Sun Blaze wiped away a tear. "Well, to put it as simply as possible, my family is part of the Awakening bloodline."

Nimbus's eyes widened. "Sun Blaze? But- no offense- why the name? You're the last pony I'd expect to be a supporter of Nightmare Moon."

Sun Blaze lowered her head in shame. "I know. My parents were supposed to carry on the tradition. Loyal supporters and all that. When I was born, they rebelled- they told me later that they couldn't raise me for the sole purpose of serving Nightmare Moon. They wanted me to live my own life, and they knew Nightmare Moon was evil, so they brought me up normally, or as normally as a family on the run from a bunch of angry fanatics could be. I knew how to handle a sword before I could fly, and friends? Forget about it. Friends were hazards. My parents told me that fillies and colts born into the Awakening were educated and prepared to fight and die for their leader at a very young age, and they told me that if they found out about my heritage… they'd kill me without hesitation. You can't even begin to think about what that does to a child!"

"I'm sorry," Nimbus said, "I had no idea…"

"Then I came here and saw you, Nimbus. You had natural talent, you were happy, and you'd faced a good deal of adversity in your life. It didn't seem fair to me that you could take something negative like disenrollment and just bounce back, while I was stuck with my situation forever. I still can't believe the things I said to you two. I tried to crush your spirits- to make you feel what I feel- but I couldn't do it. That's when I realized that perhaps this was my chance to try something new. Maybe now, I could finally release that yoke that had been hanging over my neck my entire childhood. I joined up with you two over a common cause- the Awakening. What I never told you was that I never wanted to simply find out their plans. I wanted to expose them to the world, and watch them die out for what they did to my childhood. Now, after this Hearth's Warming Eve…" new tears began to fall from her eyes, "I just don't know. I want to forget about all of this."

Slowly, hesitantly, Storm Runner moved towards her and placed a hoof over her shoulder. Sun Blaze flinched slightly, but didn't object as Storm Runner hugged her, letting her tears fall into his mane. "Sun Blaze," he said, "if you want us to stop hunting the Awakening, just say so. We're done."

"It wasn't worth it," Sun Blaze sighed, "we never should've gone poking our muzzles into their business in the first place." Sun Blaze smiled as she stepped back, "Thank you, Storm Runner. That… wasn't nearly as terrible as I'd thought it would be."

Storm Runner nodded, "that's what I'm here for."

Nimbus stood and started unpacking his things, feeling the room's tension dying down. "Sun Blaze," he said, hanging up his uniform, "since you're done with the Awakening now, would you… like to be a part of my training team for the Cloudsdale Meet?"

Sun Blaze's eyes looked like dinner plates. "You… can't be serious. You want me on your team?"

Nimbus nodded. "I sure do. Storm Runner's great for fitness training, but when it comes to technique, he's terrible. I'd say we need another coach."

"I resent that," Storm Runner piped up, eliciting a faint laugh from Sun Blaze.

"Nimbus, I'd be honored," she said at last. "After all I just told you two, you're still willing to be my friends?"

Smiling, Nimbus put away his saddlebag. "Sun Blaze, we'd be your friends regardless of what you told us."

Taken aback, Sun Blaze fumbled her way to the door. "Well, thank you two so much," she said finally, "and…" she darted forward and planted a kiss on Storm Runner before he could react, "thank you, you blue-feathered knucklehead. I'll see you two tomorrow, then." Sun Blaze walked out the door, leaving a dazed but rather delighted-looking Storm Runner sitting on his bed.

"0500 on the parade field!" Nimbus called after Sun Blaze, "I'll see you there!" Nimbus closed the door, patting Storm Runner on the back. "To be honest, I called it. I knew you and Sun Blaze had 'something special' between you two."

"What?" Storm Runner protested, "no way. I was just… doing the job that any friend would be expected to do."

"That and more," Nimbus said. "Don't deny it. You two are perfect for each other." Nimbus pulled the dark book out of his saddlebag- the source of all of Sun Blaze's troubles.

"So what do we do with this?" he asked Storm Runner.

"To be honest, I don't know," Storm Runner admitted, "probably just keep it for now. But I'll tell you one thing-"

"What's that?" Nimbus asked, putting the book away again.

"I'm never going to crack open that infernal thing again."

"Yeah, I agree," Nimbus said. "We've got one semester left here, and by Celestia, we're not going to spend it chasing ghosts. We've got a dogfight up in Cloudsdale to win, and we have Aviator wings to earn."

"That's the spirit," Storm Runner said, hoof-bumping Nimbus, "now come on- let's get on over to dinner. I'm starving!"

Nimbus laughed and shook his head, following his friend. Some things never changed.


	11. Operation Indigo

_Operation Indigo_

"This is the future of aerial warfare."

Every cadet in the room had his or her eyes glued on Dusk Shine, who was holding something covered in a blue sheet. Dusk Shine seemed unusually cheerful today, probably due to the secret he was keeping.

"When we fought the Griffons, we began to realize that in order to truly give us air superiority, we would need a weapon capable of reaching enemies outside of hoof-striking range. Our research into this particular weapon system was spurred on by the discovery that the Griffons are currently building a weapon very similar. It is this system which you will familiarize yourself with for the rest of this course."

Dusk Shine removed the sheet, revealing a grey flight suit. There was an obvious air of disappointment in the room.

"So the future of aerial warfare rests in semi-stylish clothing?" Storm Runner whispered to Nimbus from behind, "yeah, we're more screwed than I thought."

"This is the TA-4B Flight Suit. In two hours, when I release you cadets to the ponies in charge of Operation Indigo, you will be wearing these. What's special about these suits is that they feature an over-the-shoulder CAL-2 Charged Air Launcher, which compresses and electrically charges the air around you into compressed pellets, firing at a rate of two thousand rounds per minute. The ones you will be using today, however, will not be production models. Your shots will be simulated and tracked using MADAR*. Keep in mind that this is not for a grade- it's simply for you to get a taste of what actual combat is like."

Nimbus leaned back as Dusk Shine went on about the suit, getting ready for what would come next. At the moment, he and his fellow cadets were waiting to be transported out to an exercise area for the REAF's annual Operation Indigo- a mock battle designed with the intent of measuring the Royal Equestrian Air Force's operational capability. Nimbus had been approached the week previous by Dusk Shine with an offer to take charge of the cadets in the exercise. Hesitantly, Nimbus agreed. Dusk Shine had also mentioned that he wanted some original combat planning from him, and Nimbus had no intent of disappointing his commander. He'd studied up on battles flown in the early days of the REAF, noting how, in open air, superior numbers generally trumped even the most skilled flyers. Nimbus knew that even if numbers were even today, he and his teammates were at a strict disadvantage due to their lack of experience. He'd had a glance at a map of the area they'd be conducting the exercise in, and it was then that an idea dawned on him. As of yet, however, he'd revealed this idea to nopony.

Nimbus's thoughts drifted to Sun Blaze next. He still felt sorry for the mare- she'd grown up practically brainwashed to think friends were the worst thing in the world. He was glad that she was enjoying her new position on his training team. The first morning she'd showed up for practice, she took Nimbus through an aerial routine that even had Polaris's eyes spinning for a brief time, and left Nimbus wondering how he'd ever managed to take her down during the cadets' dogfight so many months ago. Now that she truly had two ponies she could call friends, Sun Blaze had opened up more, and from time to time, actually smiled at Nimbus and Storm Runner as they passed by during the day. Of course, Nimbus also wasn't oblivious to what he saw as a kindling relationship between his roommate and his new dogfight technique instructor. Storm Runner and Sun Blaze were thick as thieves now, and Nimbus was just counting down the days until one would finally ask the other out. _All in due time_, he thought, smiling.

"Cadet Nimbus."

Nimbus buried his thoughts and sat up, addressing Dusk Shine. "Yes sir?"

"Major Topaz will be arriving in twenty minutes. You have until then to brief your classmates on the plan you devised. Good luck."

Without another word, Dusk Shine turned and left the room. Nimbus stood at the head of the room, eyeing his classmates nervously.

"Who died and made you commander?" a voice called from the back of the room.

"Shut the hay up, Moongrazer!" Storm Runner shot back, "Nimbus was up all night working on this. Let's see what he's got."

"Uh, thank you Storm Runner," Nimbus said. He erased the remnants of a history lesson on the chalkboard behind him and grabbed a piece of chalk, drawing a chart of the area's elevation viewed from above and from the side.

"As I'm sure you all know," Nimbus said, "we get smoked every year trying to accomplish a simple task. This mission is a simulated penetration, in which our job is to break through enemy air defenses in order to attack a ground unit behind them. In the past, our approach has always been the same- a head-on dogfight with a squadron of experienced Aviators. This year, things are going to be a bit different."

Nimbus drew a chalk line down what appeared to be a river on the map. "This year, we're going to attack from underneath. Storm Runner and I will take two Pegasi at an altitude of around ten feet above ground level, following the river. The rest of you will follow Sun Blaze, and conduct a dogfight as usual. The idea here is that you'll be able to draw away the majority of the defending force, enabling the rest of us to get through. Sun Blaze will be taking you up above the cloud layer, and you'll be diving on the enemy from above. This'll take timing and endurance above all, but let's be honest- are we not the best class REAC has ever seen?"

Nimbus was greeted by a loud "hooah!" from his classmates, and he smiled. "Awesome. That's exactly the enthusiasm we should take into this. Now before we start volunteering for positions, consider the conditions my team will be facing above the river. We've got fog forecast, which means our visibility is expected to be around fifty feet. If you can't handle those conditions, join up with the air battle group. On the other hoof, if you're experienced and would like to get into a dogfight today, consider joining my group. We need two experienced flyers, and odds are there'll still be some action left when we're done with the ground targets."

The room was quiet. Nimbus had expected this. No future Aviator worth his salt would volunteer for a terrain-hugging ground strike in place of a dogfight, but his plan depended on somepony stepping up to the plate. Finally, Nimbus saw Coriolis stand up. He'd remember the Pegasus's red coat anywhere.

"I'm in," he said, "let's just wrap this up quickly so we can kick some flank in the air, too."

Following Coriolis's example, a second Pegasus, North Star, stood next to Nimbus.

"Right, we're set," Nimbus said, "everyone else, follow Sun Blaze and listen to her instructions. I think we can pull this off today!"

Coriolis, Storm Runner, and North Star gathered around Nimbus as the rest of the class circled Sun Blaze. Nimbus was already plotting some points on a map he'd brought along.

"So we're flying ten feet above the ground through fog?" Coriolis said, "Nimbus, I'd like to graduate in one piece, if that's okay with you."

Nimbus smiled. "Relax. These TA-4B suits have some pretty fancy stuff, including airspeed indicators and timers. We need both to pull this off." Nimbus shifted his attention back to the map, pointing to a dot he'd set at the entrance to the river they'd be flying over.

"This is our entry point, marked by a fork in the river. Once we get there, we set our timers. We'll be flying at about two hundred knots, maintaining our entry heading. By the time we hit our second checkpoint, our timers should read about two minutes, thirty-six seconds. At that point, we turn to our next heading and reset the clocks. It's that simple. We reset at every checkpoint. Any top cover the other guys might have would be stupid to follow us in there."

"Flying blind," North Star said, gulping, "you know… maybe I didn't join the right group…"

"Aw, whaddaya got to worry about?" Storm Runner said, patting North Star on the back, "you're in our team. We'll watch out for you."

The door to the classroom opened, and a pony walked in wearing Major ranks. The room was called to attention and the pony responded by putting the cadets at ease rapidly.

"Cadets, I'm Major Topaz. You have been briefed by now about the day's events. I am here to give you the scenario. Once I've done so, you are dismissed. Board the carriage outside, and you will be taken to the practice area. Good luck today." The pony flipped through a few notecards he was carrying until he settled on one in particular.

"Last night, a Griffon unit was sighted near Razortooth Ravine, about forty miles west of Canterlot. The unit contained a large contingent of ground troops, and a formidable aerial force. Your task is to engage the enemy and eliminate them. The primary focus is the Griffon camp, where the enemy has stockpiled their weapons and provisions. Without them, the Griffon aerial force will have no choice but to withdraw. Your team commanders have already discussed their plans. If there are any personal questions, or if anypony feels unable to participate in this exercise, stay back with me. Otherwise, board the carriage outside."

Nimbus nodded to his team and led them out the door to the carriage. North Star took a hesitant glance back at Major Topaz, but stuck with the group, despite his obvious fright; the stallion was shaking like a leaf in a tornado. Nimbus's confidence was high. North Star had a reputation as the class's scaredy-cat, and if he was willing to trust him, then perhaps this plan actually stood a chance after all…

…

Storm Runner slid on his suit and adjusted his helmet. They'd been dropped off on a cliff after flying for a half hour, and the mission was scheduled to begin in ten minutes. Sun Blaze had her group of eager dogfighters corralled and was giving them a pep talk, while Coriolis was helping North Star adjust his equipment. Nimbus, meanwhile, was gazing out over the fog-covered ravine ahead.

"Nervous?" Storm Runner asked, trotting up beside his friend.

Nimbus snorted. "Nervous? You kidding? I'm terrified. This is a seriously risky plan, and you, Coriolis, and North Star seem to trust it completely. I just hope we don't screw this up."

"Well, if it's any consolation," Storm Runner said, "if we do screw up, at least we'll screw up doing something nopony else has tried before."

Nimbus frowned at his friend. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Not really," Storm Runner admitted, putting his helmet on, "but hey- I trust you. We'll get through this."

A whistle blew, its shrill screech echoing through the air- the signal to form up. Storm Runner followed Nimbus to the launch area, but broke off to walk next to Sun Blaze.

"Good day for flank kicking, isn't it?" he asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"Okay, flycolt, what's on your mind?" Sun Blaze teased, "I can see right through you, you know. Out with it."

Storm Runner sighed, grinning. "Okay, then. So… you want to meet me in the cafeteria for dinner tonight?"

Sun Blaze took a long, serious look at Storm Runner, then broke out laughing. "Is this supposed to be a date? It is, isn't it? And you chose the _cafeteria?!_" Sun Blaze could hardly contain herself. Storm Runner winced.

"Well, it's not like there's anywhere else to go," he said.

"I know," Sun Blaze said, giving Storm Runner a hearty slap on the back, "I was just messin' with you. Why don't you meet me after this is done and we'll discuss it further?"

"Yeah? Okay, sure!" Storm Runner turned around, pumping his hoof in the air. Nimbus was standing nearby, laughing into his hoof.

"Snap out of it, lovercolt," Nimbus said, "we've got a mission to do."

"Wait," Coriolis said, looking from Storm Runner to Sun Blaze, "you and Sun Blaze…?"

"Yeah," Nimbus said, "it's a long story. Masks on, guys. It's showtime."

Storm Runner slipped on his muzzle mask and lowered his visor. His face was now completely protected from the elements, and his radio was activated. A moment later, Nimbus's voice came through loud and clear.

"Iceberg One to Iceberg flight, radio check."

"Iceberg Two, loud and clear," Storm Runner responded, using the callsign they'd decided on for their group on the ride over. He could hear Sun Blaze's group- Harpy Flight- performing their radio checks. In front of him, his Heads-Up Display was already adjusting itself to his current altitude. Supposedly most of the systems, including the CAL-2 Charged Air Launcher, were thought-controlled. Storm Runner didn't even bother asking how they worked. Such things were better left to smarter ponies. Once Iceberg flight finished their radio checks, they formed up in a line alongside Harpy flight on the cliff's edge.

"Iceberg and Harpy," Major Topaz's voice came through over the radio, "you are cleared for takeoff. Mission begins now."

Storm Runner launched himself into the air alongside Nimbus. The sight of the entire cadet squadron taking off at the same time was a sight to behold, and it gave Storm Runner goosebumps. This was as close to war as anypony could get without real hostilities.

"Iceberg, break formation," Nimbus said, "descend to ten feet AGL and stay on my tail."

_Here we go_, Storm Runner thought to himself, diving and staying just off Nimbus's right wing as they plunged into the dense fog below.

…

"Harpy flight, climb to fifteen thousand feet," Sun Blaze ordered as the four ponies below disappeared from view. As her flight began to climb, Sun Blaze brought up her onscreen MADAR display. So far, the airspace in front of them was clear, but she knew that somewhere out there, there was a group of experienced Aviators just waiting to chalk up a few more downed cadets for their own enjoyment.

"Harpy One to all Pegasi," Sun Blaze said, "check your MADAR and keep your heads on a swivel. Expect some action soon."

Sun Blaze punched through the cloud layer at top speed, leveling off at fifteen thousand feet. She was about to order a slight course change when Storm Runner came through over her channel.

"Hey, Harpy One- Iceberg Two here. How about dinner at nineteen hundred tonight?"

"Iceberg Two," Sun Blaze snapped, "your flight is supposed to be under radio silence with us. The more you talk, the less appealing that date sounds."

"Right," Storm Runner replied, "Iceberg Two shutting up."

Sun Blaze shook her head, then glanced at her map in surprise. A cluster of white dots was headed straight for them, and she was willing to bet they weren't friendly.

"Harpy Four," a pony called, beating her to the punch, "radar contact on hostiles."

"Roger, Harpy Four," Sun Blaze said, "descend and attack in one minute. Arm weapons. Iceberg Flight, we have MADAR contact with the enemy. Switch frequencies."

Sun Blaze switched on her CAL-2 and began sweeping the sky for any sign of approaching trouble. In a few moments, things would be going from routine to exciting in no time at all, and the last thing she wanted to be was surprised.

…

Nimbus switched his frequency over on Sun Blaze's command, and the rest of his flight did the same. They were flying low and fast over the river; so low, in fact, that each one of them was kicking up a fantail of water. The green numbers on Nimbus's HUD timer flashed by, counting up to the next turning point.

"Left thirty degrees in twenty seconds," Nimbus said, keeping an eye on his airspeed and altitude, "and mark!"

Nimbus banked left, and the others behind him did the same. The fog was thicker than his mother's famous tomato soup, and visibility had actually dropped a few feet. Fortunately, they only had two more checkpoints to go. The suit he wore protected him from the elements, but nevertheless, Nimbus could feel a chill in the air. Winter wasn't letting go easily this year, it seemed.

"Harpy flight, engage bandits!"

Nimbus's ears perked up at the sound of Sun Blaze's voice and he brought up his MADAR display. Harpy flight was tangling with a group of Pegasi, by the looks of it. Maintaining the plan was critical now.

"Turn in five, four, three, two, one- mark!" Nimbus wrenched himself to the right, flying directly under a tree that had fallen across the river. He glanced back at the rest of his flight, shaken but still flying.

"How are you holding up, guys?" he asked.

"All good," Coriolis said, nodding, "just get us to the target."

"This is Harpy four, I'm hit!" a voice called out over the radio. This was followed by a call from Harpy Seven and Harpy three shortly after.

"Sweet Celestia, they're getting pounded up there!" Coriolis said.

"We can't do anything about it," Nimbus said, "Sun Blaze will handle the situation."

"Harpy Flight, reassemble formation." Sun Blaze's voice was calm, and unworried. The other Pegasus chatter went silent as she gave her orders. "Nopony leaves another defenseless. Take two on one and divide the attackers. Their strength is in their formation flying."

"Harpy One, we don't have enough flyers for two on one!"

"Harpy Two," Sun Blaze replied, "that's not your concern. Follow my orders and leave the stragglers to me."

Storm Runner whistled in awe over the frequency. "Wow, now that's what I call calm in the face of battle."

"Iceberg Two, tree!" North Star called out. Storm Runner dropped his altitude just in time to avoid a tangle of branches.

"Whew, thanks for the save, Iceberg Four," he called back.

Nimbus listened to the radio chatter going on around him, not daring to stray from his course. The ravine was supposed to narrow ahead, making flight challenging even in conditions were the ponies could see in front of themselves. Today, flying the gap would be like threading a needle blindfolded. Nimbus eyed the location he'd estimated the smallest gap to be, waiting for it.

"Tight formation," he ordered, and within seconds he began to feel buffeting as both Storm Runner's and Coriolis's wingwash blended with his own. "Keep an eye out for the ravine walls," Nimbus said. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, two towering dark masses appeared on either side of them, emerging from the mists like great, mythical beasts. Nimbus recognized them as the ravine walls, and as they passed by, Nimbus felt the disturbed airflow around them, finally realizing just how close they were to hitting them.

"Woohoo!" North Star whooped, "that's the last big obstacle out of the way!"

"One more turn," Nimbus said, smiling as the fog began to clear and the ravine widened. This time, they didn't even need to use the timers. They simply turned once the river's bend was in sight.

"Target's dead ahead," Nimbus said, "arm CAL-2s."

Moments later, the camp appeared out of what was left of the fog. Nimbus was so awestruck that he almost forgot to arm his weapon. The ponies in charge of setting up the scenario had clearly spared no expenses. Rows of tents lined an open field, and in the middle was a small, portable radio antenna. Nimbus glanced at his MADAR. There were two hits converging on their position, but they were still far off. Most likely, the defending force had only left two Aviators to defend the camp. Their mistake.

"I have the tower," Nimbus said, "climb and form up into a line for max coverage. Shoot everything."

The four ponies pulled up, finally gaining maneuvering room, and formed a line on either side of Nimbus. They dove down towards the camp, "firing" their mock weapons. MADAR registered any hits which struck targets. Nimbus lined himself up and strafed the radio tower, flipping sideways to avoid it as he blew past. He could scarcely believe his ears when he heard the next voice on the radio.

"Aagh!" Dusk Shine called, clearly simulating the Griffon ground forces, "they're burning it down! We're being pounded! Communications- failing- help!"

Nimbus shook his head as he cleared the field. Dusk Shine was obviously taking his part very seriously. He couldn't help but sense a touch of enthusiasm in his voice as well. The Unicorn actually seemed excited that the Aviators were losing this fight. Nimbus pulled up inverted, then rolled out, flying back down at the field with his teammates for a final strafing pass. Any active targets were marked on his HUD, but very few actually remained. Destroying the remnants was almost too easy.

"Go!" Nimbus heard Sun Blaze call, "Harpy flight, take them out while they're distracted!" Evidently the main fighting force had been surprised by the sudden destruction of their camp, and Sun Blaze clearly wasn't about to let the moment go to waste.

"Contact one o'clock!" Coriolis shouted. Nimbus looked to his right and above. An Aviator was bearing down on him. He swiftly dove out of the way and whipped around, placing his boresight- the green mark which sighted his CAL-2- on his opponent. The pony tried to veer away, but Nimbus tracked his maneuver, downing him in seconds.

"Another bogey inbound," Storm Runner called, "Iceberg Three and Four, flank him."

North Star and Coriolis mercilessly closed in on the approaching Pegasus from the sides, while Nimbus blocked his descent. The only way out was up, and the stallion took it- right into Storm Runner's sights.

"That's a confirmed kill," Storm Runner said as the Aviator cursed and flew back to base.

"Roger," Nimbus said, "all ground targets destroyed as well. Let's go finish up the aerial battle."

Nimbus and the rest of Iceberg flight climbed into the sky, leaving the camp behind them. The MADAR was still indicating an aerial battle where Harpy flight had made contact, but there were several less enemies indicated.

"Harpy, Iceberg flight inbound," Nimbus called.

"Roger, Iceberg," Sun Blaze replied, "we're just wrapping this up."

As they drew closer, Nimbus watched as Sun Blaze drew an attacking Aviator into a series of sharp twists and flips, finishing by climbing straight out through a cloud. The Aviator followed her, but lost her the moment he exited. Suddenly, Sun Blaze came straight up from below him, taking him out. The poor stallion never had time to react.

Coriolis, North Star, Storm Runner, and Nimbus dove into the fray, but by the time they actually started chasing down enemies, the battle was practically over. Nimbus set his sights on a bogey trying to retreat and gain distance to counterattack. The Pegasus dove for the ground, trying to shake him off, but Nimbus was relentless. Suddenly, his warning buzzer went off. Nimbus glanced back; another Aviator was diving on him, lining up for a shot. Sun Blaze took him from the side, popping Nimbus a sharp salute as she did so, leaving Nimbus to his task. The pony he was chasing pulled up between the ravine walls, and Nimbus stayed behind him, looking for a good shot. When the pony tried losing him behind a large tree, Nimbus saw his opportunity. The Aviator circled around the tree, and Nimbus wrenched his wings forward, braking and changing to an intercept course. As his opponent rounded the tree, Nimbus was there, marking hits on him. The pony turned, disgusted, and headed away from the practice area as Nimbus climbed and rejoined his flight.

"Iceberg and Harpy," Major Topaz said over the radio, "all targets confirmed neutralized. Return to base. Good job, cadets."

"Alright!" Nimbus yelled, beaming, "that's what I'm talking about!"

"Well done, Iceberg," Sun Blaze said, "seems like the plan worked after all."

Storm Runner performed a quick victory roll and flew up next to Nimbus. Sun Blaze approached from the opposite side, and the three friends took up the point position of the formation of cadets.

"Five kills," Sun Blaze said, "you know what that means, Nimbus? You may have shot me down earlier this year, but I'm still the squadron's ace."

"Yeah, don't rub it in," Nimbus chuckled, "congratulations, Sun Blaze. You earned this."

As the cadets approached their takeoff point, they could see Dusk Shine waiting for them. Landing, Nimbus took off his helmet and began to remove his flight gear while his classmates did the same. Dusk Shine addressed them as they did so.

"Well, I've got to say, cadets- that was a first. I wasn't expecting you to actually win that particular battle. The Aviators are ticked off, but they respect you a whole lot more now, I believe. Dividing into flights and attacking the targets separately was risky, but it clearly paid off. I originally had conditioning planned for when we get back to campus, but I think you've earned a day off."

Dusk Shine's words were greeted with loud whoops and cheers as the Pegasi celebrated. Nimbus turned and high-hoofed both Storm Runner and Sun Blaze. As he did so, however, he noticed a pony run urgently up to Dusk Shine. After a quick exchange of words and some concerned glances, Dusk Shine nodded and dismissed the pony, turning once again to his cadets.

"Cadets, listen up. Return to the carriage immediately. When we arrive back at the college, remain inside the Aviator Training School building."

"What the hay?" Storm Runner said. Nimbus shrugged, giving his flight equipment back to a pony who placed it in a carriage with several others. Outside, he tried his best to appear nonchalant about the situation, but internally, he felt uneasy. The look he'd seen on Dusk Shine's face was one of worry, and if he knew his commander, there wasn't much in the world capable of worrying him. As Nimbus climbed onto the carriage with Storm Runner and Sun Blaze, he looked back out at the practice area. Today had been a victory, but for some reason, now didn't seem to be the time to celebrate.

…

Half an hour later, the carriage touched down outside the Aviator Training School building, and the cadets were hustled inside. Things had only gotten stranger on the ride over. Halfway back to the campus, several Aviators flew in to escort the carriages to their destination. A dead silence hung over the grounds.

Inside the building, the cadets were instructed to take their usual seats. Dusk Shine stood at the head of the room, his face grim.

"I was just informed that there was an attack on school grounds while we were away. Apparently, a student attempted to stab Polaris, one of our history professors."

Nimbus's stomach dropped and his heart practically stopped. Polaris was attacked?

"His injuries are mild. The student was detained and is being held in Canterlot as we speak. Our instructions are to wait here until the campus is cleared by security."

Nimbus's breathing slowed, and he calmed down slightly when he heard that Polaris was fine. Still, nothing could change the fact that he'd narrowly missed an act of violence at his school. As he reflected on what could have possibly caused a pony to do something so drastic, the classroom's television suddenly turned on. On the screen was a nondescript pony, wearing a black hood that obscured his face. Realization hit Nimbus with the force of a tidal wave. He'd seen this pony before on the news, speaking for the Awakening.

"Greetings to the students and faculty of the Royal Equestrian Air College," the pony began, "your school is well-known for its weather programs and quality of flight education," he paused, smirking, "and its reputation for turning out Celestia's own aerial slaves: the Aviators. It is this last group- the cadets- that I address now. One of you owes us her life. She is a traitor, and escaped our agent over Hearth's Warming Eve. You will bring her to us, or your school will be leveled, and I will personally guarantee the death of everyone inside. I have made my offer clear. You have one month to consider it. After that, we have no choice. Time is running out, and Nightmare Moon's return is nigh. Do not force us to attack this campus. Give us what we want, and spare yourselves. The cadet's name is Sun Blaze. Good night."

The television flickered off and the entire class was silent. Sun Blaze simply stared at the screen, petrified.

"Those spineless snakes," Dusk Shine growled, turning to Sun Blaze. "Cadet Sun Blaze, you will not be turned over. I'll make sure of that." The stallion turned to the class. "Cadets, I've watched you grow over the course of this school year, and I fully expect that none of you will do anything rash. You're better than that. This threat is probably hollow, and I fully expect you all to focus on your schoolwork instead of these events. You will be called upon to deal with threats like this in your own time, when you graduate. For now, concentrate on getting there. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if it's safe for you to return to your dorms."

Dusk Shine turned and headed for the door, but stopped before leaving. Turning around, he addressed the class.

"Cadets, if I haven't made this clear enough already, I want you all to know that despite everything that's happened, I won't forget the outstanding performance you gave today. I want to see all of you graduate as Aviators, and from what I saw today, I have no doubts that that's exactly what's going to happen."

Nimbus, Sun Blaze, and Storm Runner all shared weak smiles, none of them sincere. Everypony was worried about the Awakening's message. As the class started to chatter, Storm Runner scooted closer to Sun Blaze.

"Uh… Sun Blaze?" he said, "if you're not feeling up to dinner tonight, we can call it off."

"No, no," Sun Blaze said, shaking her head and smiling at Storm Runner, "right now, I think I could really use that date."

And then and there, even in the face of impending danger, the three friends shared a laugh; a sincere laugh. Whether it was the laughter or not, nopony could say, but for some reason, the class quieted down after that, and by the time Dusk Shine returned and dismissed them, everypony headed back to their dorms, still nervous, but at the same time remembering the pride they felt. They'd been victorious that day- the first class to complete an Operation Indigo objective, and for that, despite their understandable uncertainty about what was to come, they felt unbeatable.

*MADAR stands for MAgical Detection And Ranging.


	12. Canterlot

_Canterlot_

Nimbus sighed in relief as the moisture-laden morning air swept over his sore wings as he took to the sky. It was his last morning of practice before traveling to Canterlot for the Cloudsdale Meet's competitor banquet, and Storm Runner and Sun Blaze hadn't wasted a single moment of it. They'd thrown Nimbus through just about every exercise and combat scenario they could think of. Now he was taking his cooldown flight, and both of his coaches were gliding along beside him, giving him advice.

"Now I know this is going to be right after the Summer Sun Celebration," Storm Runner said, "but that's not an excuse to stay up all night for the festivities. You need your sleep, so retire early."

"Well of course," Nimbus said, panting, "you know I'd-"

"Don't let the other competitors get to you either," Sun Blaze interrupted, "odds are, there's going to be a lot of muscle-flexing, both literally and figuratively during this banquet. Don't let any of it bother you. Just perform the way you always have."

"Thanks, mom and dad," Nimbus groaned, landing on the parade field. His friends left to go grab a few orange cones they'd spread out over the field while Nimbus trotted over to Polaris. The old Pegasus bounced back from his injuries like a champion, and he rarely ever mentioned the attempt made on his life. The aftereffects of the attack on the campus, however, were clear. Because of the school's proximity to Canterlot, two royal guards were now posted at the entrance to the main hall, and several more roamed the halls, keeping eyes out for suspicious activity. Their presence was clearly having some sort of effect, as nopony had heard from the Awakening since the attack.

"Well done up there today," Polaris said as his student approached. "You're fit as a fiddle and ready to take on Equestria's best, I think."

"You think so?" Nimbus said, "I'm not going to lie- this is probably the most nervous I've ever been."

"Don't let the fear get to you," Sun Blaze said, flying down from out of nowhere and landing next to Nimbus, "or so help me, Storm Runner and I will come to the Meet ourselves and put you through a training session."

Nimbus winced. "On second thought, I think you just scared the fear right out of me."

"Is that even possible?" Storm Runner chuckled. "Seriously, Nimbus, you'll do fine. Now come on- we've gotta go pack your bags!"

"Wait-" Nimbus said, "shouldn't you and Sun Blaze be getting ready for graduation practice? I thought the Aviator cadets were supposed to be practicing the field flyover today."

Storm Runner's eyes went as wide as dinner plates. He turned to Sun Blaze, who simply nodded.

"He's right, you know."

"Sweet Celestia, what time is it?" Storm Runner said, flying into a frenzy, "I can't be late! I have to brush my teeth and shine my hooves and comb my mane and-" Storm Runner stole a few quick glances around before darting off towards the dorms. "Bye, Nimbus! Good luck!"

Nimbus laughed along with Polaris and Sun Blaze. The silver mare's outlook on life was improving every day. The past weekend, Storm Runner had taken her out for dinner at a fancy restaurant in Canterlot. Nimbus had teased them, of course, as is the custom for any good friend, but when Storm Runner, in his uniform, escorted Sun Blaze to the carriage that night, all joking was gone. The two were perfect for each other, and Nimbus found his point proven when they returned later, laughing and smiling together. The dinner, of course, had been a complete bust, because while Storm Runner had a tendency to act macho, evidently this attitude did not transfer on his first date. Nimbus got the report later. His nervous friend had managed to not only spill every drink on his table and drop at least one glass; he'd also bumped into a waiter carrying a cherry pie, upturning the desert on the poor pony. Somehow, despite the disaster, the two had found humor in the situation. If they ended up being stationed apart from each other when school was done, Nimbus decided, they would almost certainly find a way to come back together again.

"Take care of my roommate," Nimbus said finally to Sun Blaze, "he's gone into his full-blown Narcissistic mode, and you know what he's like when that happens. The guy can't wait for a chance to fly over a bunch of empty bleachers."

"Ha! Don't I ever?" Sun Blaze chuckled, "we'll be just fine here, Nimbus. You get yourself over to Canterlot and kick some flank for the two of us, okay? I'd hate to see all those training mornings go to waste."

"Sure thing, ma'am," Nimbus said, smiling. "Seriously, though- I'm glad to see you're doing better, Sun Blaze. The last month's been hard for you, I'll bet."

"Yeah, well what can I say? I have two of the best friends Equestria has to offer!" Sun Blaze said, punching Nimbus's shoulder, "I'd better go make sure Storm Runner doesn't get himself into trouble. Good luck, chucklehead."

Nimbus grinned. "Thanks, Sun Blaze. I'll see you and Storm Runner soon."

"Sooner than you think, I'm sure," Sun Blaze said, darting into the sky in the direction Storm Runner had flown. Nimbus turned to his mentor, Polaris.

"I can't believe the day's finally here," he said at last.

"Are you ready?" Polaris asked.

"I'm nearly finished packing," Nimbus replied.

"Good, because our transportation arrives in five hours. Meet me out in the courtyard then wearing your dress blues."

Nimbus nodded. "I'll be there. May I ask what we'll be traveling in?"

Polaris grinned peevishly. "Oh come now, Nimbus. That would be telling, wouldn't it?"

…

Back in his room, Nimbus changed into his dress blues threw the last of his traveling supplies into his saddlebag- just enough for three days away from the school. Before closing the bag, he did a quick check, making sure he hadn't left anything behind. Satisfied that he hadn't, Nimbus hefted his saddlebag and walked to the window. It wasn't time to go just yet, and from here he could see the parade field, where his classmates were practicing for the graduation day flyover. One by one, they flew over the field as their names were called, circling around and landing in a formation on the ground. Nimbus thought he saw Storm Runner and Sun Blaze once or twice, but he couldn't be sure. They were too far away to tell.

Sighing, Nimbus lay down on his bed. Something inside him suddenly felt heavy. The moment was just too much. Leaving his friends behind, watching them fly together, recalling everything he'd done to get to where he was today- all of these feelings were simply too much to handle at once. It was as if an emotional dam had broken inside of him. Nimbus buried his head in his pillow and sobbed. He wept for the life he'd thrown away almost exactly a year ago, and he cried with joy for Sun Blaze, who had finally had the chance to experience friends and a normal life. Most of all, though, he wept because he needed to. He'd been holding back emotions since he'd arrived at the college. Now, alone, he had the chance to release them.

"Why me?" he asked nopony in particular, "why- why did I get a second chance? I certainly didn't deserve it. I was a failure last year. I gave up on my dream. I should be out there with my classmates while somepony else goes to Canterlot tonight. Who's to say I earned this?" Nimbus sobbed and stood up again, trotting over to the window once more.

"Everypony always told me life wasn't fair," he said sniffing and wiping his eyes on his hoof, "I don't know if that's really true. Maybe life is just a really harsh teacher. Maybe by making the mistakes I made, I turned back on course to who I'm really supposed to be." Nimbus smiled slightly as a cadet flew quickly across the parade field, overshooting his turn by nearly a hundred feet. "I guess the point is that life gave me a second chance. Maybe I had to pick myself out of the mud to take it, but I still got one."

Nimbus turned around, grabbed his room key, and trotted out, locking his door behind him. "Nopony ever gets a third chance," he said to himself, "when I get to that Cloudsdale Meet, the only pony I'm really going to be proving anything to is myself. This is my big chance. I can't let it go to waste."

Nimbus took a few deep breaths as he walked on, drying his face when he could. Over the next hour, he visited the dining hall and grabbed a sandwich for lunch, which he ate halfheartedly. He was too excited and nervous to really focus on eating. He spent his entire lunch glancing at the clock, and when it finally struck noon, Nimbus pulled on his saddlebag and raced out the door. As he entered the courtyard, he saw Polaris and waved, trotting over to him. He hadn't gone more than a few feet when a dark shadow fell over him. Nimbus looked up. Something huge was above his head, completely blocking out the sun. The stallion stood, gaping at the massive… thing. Polaris chuckled.

"Nimbus, I could swear by the look on your face that you haven't seen an airship before!"

The orange Pegasus shook himself out of his daze as he focused on the craft overhead. Sure enough, he could now make out the airship's design. Most of the craft was a large, blue gas envelope, but he could also make out a sleek white gondola hanging beneath, partially covered by a glass canopy. The giant flying machine turned slowly, descending until it was hovering above the ground right next to Polaris. Nimbus heard a pony on board cry "prepare to board!" just before a polished wooden ramp was folded over the side. Nimbus took his place next to Polaris as a Unicorn wearing a sharp, well-pressed dress suit walked down the ramp, levitating a clipboard by his side.

"Cadet Nimbus and Professor Polaris?" he asked, not glancing up from his clipboard.

"That's us," Polaris said. The Unicorn jotted down a few notes, then vigorously shook Nimbus's and Polaris's hooves.

"Welcome aboard the Autumn Zephyr. We'll be providing you transportation to Canterlot. This school is our last stop before our destination, so relax and enjoy the view. We're set to touch down in Canterlot at around eight o'clock tonight. You will receive programs for tomorrow's banquet once you arrive."

Nimbus almost unconsciously adjusted his suit. Even in the sharpest uniform Aviator Training School had to offer, he still felt underdressed. He followed Polaris up the ramp and onto the deck of the gondola, and was immediately surprised by how luxurious the craft was. The deck was polished oak, and was surrounded by gleaming white and blue accents everywhere. Most of the deck was outdoors, but underneath the glass canopy, Nimbus could see several ponies eating or talking at a few tables. Behind them, stairs led down to the lower level, where Nimbus assumed passengers slept on long journeys. It was all too much for him to take in and the Pegasus simply stood still, stunned.

"Raise ramp, prepare to lift!" the Unicorn called. Seconds later the ramp was on board and the airship began to rise into the air. The sensation of flying without the use of his own wings was odd to Nimbus, but not unpleasant. Beaming, he trotted over to the side of the gondola and watched as his school grew ever smaller in the distance.

"First flight in an airship is always like this," Polaris laughed. "I was just like you when I flew on one."

"You've been on an airship before?"

"Oh yes," Polaris nodded, "of course, they weren't as sophisticated back in my day, but the wonder was still there. I still find it strange to see that flight is possible without wings."

"Yeah," Nimbus said, glancing around the deck. His gaze rested on the ponies inside canopy at their tables. "So I take it those are a few of the competitors?"

"They are indeed," Polaris answered, "if you'd like, we can go talk to them." Seeing Nimbus's hesitation at the suggestion, Polaris added, "trust me- they're really not so bad when you get to know them. Besides, first impressions are important. You may meet some of these ponies when you become an Aviator."

"You mean if," Nimbus said, "if I become an Aviator. There are still three weeks of school left."

"And do you plan on failing my class?"

"Well… no," Nimbus admitted, "but-"

"Then I'm pretty sure you'll graduate," Polaris said, "now come on."

Nimbus followed his teacher into the canopy. Now that they were inside, the atmosphere had changed. The room was abuzz with chatter. Aviators were swapping stories and drinks, and by the time he and Polaris sat down at a table with an Aviator, Nimbus could have sworn he'd heard the word "Manticore" at least a half-dozen times. The stocky, green Pegasus at the table looked up as they sat down, and immediately gave Polaris an enthusiastic greeting.

"Prof? I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Nor I you," Polaris said, shaking the stallion's hoof. "Corona Flash… you never did pay much attention in my class, did you?"

"You know each other?" Nimbus piped up. Corona raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, so this is why my old mentor's here. You are the Royal Equestrian Air College's competitor for the dogfight, I take it?"

Nimbus nodded, shaking the stallion's hoof. "Yes, and Polaris is my coach."

Corona nodded, "well, he's a darn fine teacher. You're lucky."

"We like to joke," Polaris added, "but Corona Flash was one of my star students about, oh, five years ago."

The green stallion grabbed two menus from the center of the table and passed them out to Nimbus and Polaris. "Now don't go bringing that up; makes me feel old."

Nimbus perused the menu as Polaris and Corona Flash caught up. There were dishes he'd never heard of, and the prices were astronomical. "Umm… sir?" Nimbus asked Corona, "these are kind of expen-"

"All paid for. No need to worry, cadet. Your meals and drinks are on the house. Well, except alcohol. I'm guessing you're still under twenty one."

"Only for another year," Nimbus sighed, selecting a rather exquisite-looking alfredo dish. He wrote down his request on an order form and placed it at the head of the table. Corona grabbed it and took a quick glance.

"Cheese sauce, good choice… wait-" Polaris covered his mouth as he laughed. "Oh this is great!"

Polaris slid his own order form to the head of the table, confused. "What's that, Corona?"

"I'm just now realizing that Nimbus is probably the first dogfighter I've ever met to order a Root Beer instead of something harder."

"Well, I mean, I'm not old enough to-" Nimbus started.

"No, you're absolutely right," Corona cut in. "Nimbus, you have a good moral compass, and don't you forget that. Stay responsible your whole life. Don't end up like me and ninety percent of the Aviators in here. We'll all be village drunks when we retire."

Nimbus laughed. "It can't be that serious, can it?"

"Oh it can. An Aviator's life is a good one, but not necessarily a clean one."

"Right," Nimbus said, "so-" he eyed the ranks on Corona's dress blues, "Captain Corona-"

"Just Corona, please. We're all equals here."

"Right," Nimbus went on, "Corona, is this your first time at the Meet as well?"

"Second, actually," Corona answered, "I was here last year, too. Got my flank handed to me."

"Well if you don't mind me asking, what was it like? The Meet, I mean."

Corona leaned back in his chair, clicking his front hooves together. "Heh, well, it's nothing like the dogfights they have you do in your class. You're going up against just over fifty other targets, and they all want to shoot you down. Maybe you're not the first target on their lists, but mark my words- you are on their lists. Heck, you'll be on mine, too, not to put a downer on this conversation. That's just the way the game's played. They'll start you out with an hour with your instructor, to strategize. Then they send you out onto the field and start the countdown. Once they ring the gong, there's no going back. You're in it to win it."

_In it to win it, _Nimbus thought as Corona went on, _that's the story of my life so far. How bad could it be? _The cadet sat back in his chair and relaxed as Corona went on about his experience the previous year, and for the first time in a while, he felt all his worries simply slip away.

…

The sun was setting by the time the airship docked in Canterlot. All of the craft's occupants crossed the ramp into a docking tower. As Nimbus crossed, he looked down at the lights below. He'd never been in a big city before. The closest he'd come was seeing Manehattan from a distance. Below him, ponies scurried about like ants. It was dizzying.

"Welcome to Canterlot," Corona said as Nimbus stepped off the ramp behind Polaris, "the crown jewel of Equestria. I'm guessing you two will want to find out your accommodations. I'm getting pretty tired myself."

"It was a pleasure seeing you again, Corona," Polaris said, shaking his former student's hoof once more, "perhaps we can meet up again tomorrow."

"I'm sure we'll run into each other," Corona said, "after all, Nimbus has to get to the spa for his pre-banquet fix-up."

Nimbus paled at the mention of the word "spa." "What exactly are they going to do to me?" he asked Corona nervously.

Corona winked. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

Nimbus gulped as he and Polaris headed to the ground floor. He'd never enjoyed any sort of special treatment; he wasn't even fond of getting his mane cut. Still, if it was a part of the event…

"Right over here," Polaris said, beckoning Nimbus to a bright yellow carriage, "we'll take this to our rooms."

Nimbus climbed into the carriage and took a seat by the window. If the city had looked impressive from the air, it was even more so from down here. Buildings towered around him, and in the distance, he could make out the hazy outline of the royal palace. Canterlot was loud, too. Compared to Hollow Shades, the roar of the city was something completely new to Nimbus. Despite this, however, Nimbus didn't even fight to stay awake as his head slumped over on the windowsill and he fell fast asleep. It had been a long day, and tomorrow would almost certainly be longer, but Nimbus slept content, knowing that he was one step closer to his dream.


	13. Awakening: Part I

_Awakening, Part I_

"You ready?"

"Of course I am."

"Well I don't wanna have to slow down just so you can keep up."

Storm Runner shook his head and flexed his wings. "Come on, Sun Blaze. I've been waiting all day to stretch my wings. I think I'll be able to keep up."

Without another word, Sun Blaze shot up into the sky. Storm Runner followed close behind her. This flight had been her idea; a chance to enjoy the sunshine after class and take their minds off Nimbus for a few moments. Storm Runner had to admit- it'd been odd with Nimbus gone. When his alarm clock went off that morning, he'd completely missed it. Normally, it was Nimbus who'd wake him up. Today, he'd almost missed class. Sun Blaze met up with him after their first class and stuck around for the day, but Storm Runner could see that even she seemed off; he often caught her staring off into space thoughtfully. Nimbus's presence, it seemed, had been a big part of their lives, and now he was off in Canterlot, doing Celestia-knew-what.

_But none of that matters now_, Storm Runner thought, performing a lazy roll over a stray cloud, _because I'm up here on a warm, late Spring afternoon with my marefriend and nothing could be better._

"Hey!" Sun Blaze said, nudging Storm Runner with her hoof and snapping him out of his daze, "see that cloud over there?" The mare pointed towards a lone cloud hovering over a mountain peak, "last one there's dragon bait!"

Storm Runner surged ahead with a grin, pumping his wings as hard as he could. Sun Blaze, though, was hot on his trail. She'd clearly learned a thing or two over the past school year. Normally, Storm Runner was regarded as the fastest Pegasus on campus, but now Sun Blaze was actually pulling away from him.

"Oh no you don't!" Storm Runner said, digging his wings into the air and increasing his thrust. He was retaking his position now, slowly gaining again…

"Bird!" Storm Runner ducked and rolled out of the way as an eagle swooped into his flight path. In that single moment, he lost any chance of gaining on his marefriend, and Sun Blaze dove into the cloud, looping out of it and falling into a leisurely cruise alongside Storm Runner. She was panting hard, but grinning like a lunatic.

"Never done that before!" she exclaimed.

"There was a… bird," Storm Runner mumbled.

"Then I suppose fate was on my side today," Sun Blaze said. Storm nodded, taking in the scenery as they flew on. He could just make out the royal palace in the distance through the mountain haze.

"What do you think Nimbus is up to?" he asked finally.

Sun Blaze shrugged, "probably getting ready for that big dinner of his."

The two flew along in silence for a while. The afternoon was at that perfect balance between noon and sunset, where everything seems to move slowly and worries seem to cease to exist. Storm Runner was about to point out a cloud that he felt looked like a dragon when Sun Blaze turned to him.

"Storm Runner, have you ever had to do something you knew would be misunderstood, but which was for the greater good?"

Storm Runner raised an eyebrow, "I… don't quite follow."

Sun Blaze shook her head. "Never mind, just thinking about my life, I suppose."

"Well hey," Storm Runner cut in, changing the subject, "tomorrow's a holiday, so… you wanna have dinner in Canterlot?"

Sun Blaze playfully punched Storm Runner. "You know how that went last time, you big oaf."

"Oh no no no," Storm Runner said, "not that fancy place. I was thinking Donut Joe's."

Sun Blaze flared her wings for a smooth descent to the campus, while Storm Runner followed. "Donuts? Sounds good to me."

"Great!" Storm Runner beamed, "then let's-" the blue Pegasus froze. The guards posted at the front doors to the campus were new, but the previous guards' shifts weren't supposed to end for another two hours. He nudged Sun Blaze.

"Hey Sun," he whispered, nodding towards the guards, "doesn't it strike you as odd that those two guards replaced their comrades two hours early? I thought this whole guard thing ran like clockwork."

"Normally, yes," Sun Blaze said, "but I'm not particularly concerned. We've got a big holiday coming up. It's probably just heightened security."

"Right," Storm Runner nodded, "well, I'm going to head back to my room for a shower. How about I meet you in the cafeteria in, say, forty-five minutes?"

Sun Blaze winked, "sounds like a plan."

Storm Runner turned his back on the guards, trotting away to his room. As he did so, he couldn't help but feel worried. Holiday or not, Royal Guards never drastically altered their schedules. They had a reputation for being meticulous to a fault. Why these two had suddenly been replaced was still a mystery to him, and he knew he wouldn't rest easily until his questions were answered.

The Pegasus pulled open the door of his room and sank down onto his bed, not quite ready for a shower yet. Sun Blaze had occupied his mind. The mare had turned out to be quite different from what he'd expected. Only a few months ago, he'd wanted nothing to do with her, and now they were better than friends.

"You wishy-washy colt," he muttered to himself, "dating your former rival…" he smiled. "First impressions might be important, but that doesn't mean they're right."

Suddenly, several loud taps coming from the window shook Storm Runner to his feet. Outside was a brilliant red bird, eagerly tapping the glass. Storm Runner rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't hallucinating. Convinced he wasn't, he opened the window slowly.

"You're a Phoenix," he said in awe. As if in reply, the bird cocked its head and dropped a scroll it was clutching into Storm Runner's hooves. Then, without warning, it took off again, heading for Canterlot. Eagerly, Storm Runner opened the scroll and sat down to read.

_Dear Storm Runner,_

_Finally, one hour of peace! I spent the entire morning galloping all over Canterlot. They actually forced me to sit through a spa treatment, so I'll be gussied up for tonight's banquet. Yuck. I found out over lunch that all Cloudsdale Meet competitors have access to Phoenix-delivery mail services, so I figured I'd check in with you. So far, Polaris and I are doing fine. We met an old student of his- Corona Flash- and he seems nice enough. He's told me quite a bit about the Meet and what to expect, so as you can imagine, I'm pretty grateful. By the way- tomorrow appears to be shaping up to be a nice day. You should take Sun Blaze somewhere nice, though if I know you, you've probably already thought of that by now. I'd write more, but Polaris is knocking on my door. Looks like I've got to go. Enjoy your holiday!_

_Your Friend,_

_Nimbus_

Storm Runner smiled as he closed up the scroll and set it down on his bed. Nimbus was clearly just as eager to communicate as he was. It was nice to know that despite everything he was going through now, he'd still taken the time to write. Glancing at the scroll, Storm Runner scooped it up and stuffed it in his saddlebag. Sun Blaze would probably want to see it. After he set his saddlebag by the door, Storm Runner grabbed a towel and his shower gear.

As Storm Runner reached up to close his room's blinds and prepare for his shower, he stopped. Outside, several ponies were gathering around the campus, silently staring at the building. Chills crawled down Storm's spine as he remembered the new guards he'd spotted minutes ago. One freak occurrence he could take, but two within moments of each other?

"Sun Blaze," he whispered, "oh no."

Throwing his towel and saddlebag aside, Storm Runner threw open his door and raced out into the hall, galloping as quickly as possible. He didn't want to admit it, but he had a bad feeling he already knew what was going on.

"It's not The Awakening," Storm Runner panted, racing outside and heading for the bridge to the campus, "it can't be, it's just-"

Storm's world turned into a blinding flash of white heat and fragments of rubble as a thundering roar shook his very bones, knocking him onto his back. He slid back across the grass, hitting his head on the stone wall of his dormitory. All he could hear was a sharp ringing in his ears as his vision slowly refocused.

"No," he whispered when his eyes finally adjusted and he could see what had actually happened. The once-proud main hall had been gutted by the explosion, and was now a smoldering ruin. Thick black smoke poured out through the hole the blast had made, and fire alarms were blaring. Storm Runner's initial instinct was to run to the main hall to help, but he stopped as a shadow fell over him.

Ducking down, Storm Runner observed a dark purple Pegasus pass over him, carrying a Unicorn wearing a black robe. As he watched, the Pegasus landed on the roof and the Unicorn he was carrying took up a position. The Pegasus then took off again, circling over the main hall as other Pegasi came in. Storm Runner racked his brain for his next move. The Pegasi were flying patterns, meaning that this wasn't just some random act of terrorism. Whatever was going on here had been thoroughly planned. Anypony in the main hall would have followed standard safety protocol and headed to the underground tunnels once the explosion occurred. If he was to have any hope of finding Sun Blaze, it would be there. Unfortunately, the only way to access the tunnels was via the main hall itself, meaning Storm Runner would have to expose himself to the circling Pegasi to get there. Falling under the Pegasi's gaze would be unavoidable, but there had to be a way to go as far as possible undetected…

Storm Runner gazed down into the mountain range below. A faint mist layer hung between the peaks. Instantly, he developed a plan of action; he'd use the mist for cover, and climb quickly up to the parade field, behind the main hall. Once there, he would make a dash for the door, hopefully before the Pegasi could catch up with him.

The more I think about this, the less appealing it sounds, Storm Runner thought, so I guess I'd better get going before I second-guess myself.

Without further delay, Storm Runner dropped off the edge of the peak, diving past the bridge into the mist below. Once inside he righted himself, looking up at the sky to keep his bearings. Once he was close enough to the peak that held the main hall, he climbed again, practically clawing for altitude. His wing muscles burned as he fought for a constantly increasing climb rate; above, one Pegasus had already noticed him, and had broken off from his pattern, using gravity to help him accelerate towards Storm Runner. The blue Pegasus gritted his teeth and kept climbing, rolling level as soon as he cleared the edge of the peak. Over the parade field, he kept pushing himself, forcing his wings to move faster and increasing his speed dramatically, and yet his pursuer still gained. What came next caught Storm Runner completely off guard. As his speed increased, he noticed vapor forming in a cone around his body. He'd learned about this phenomenon in Aviator Training School- it was a shock cone, and it only formed if…

"I'm going supersonic!" Storm Runner whooped. Despite the near-inevitable probability of death and everything going wrong around him, he was overcome by a feeling of invincibility. He passed through the sound barrier, forcing a loud "crack" to echo across the campus. He didn't care who heard him now- unless they were capable of performing the legendary Rainboom, they would have a tough time catching him.

Up ahead, the door to the campus was coming steadily closer. He'd only been supersonic for half a second when Storm Runner flared his wings and dug his hooves into the ground, stopping quickly. There was no time to lose; his pursuer had leveled out and was headed straight for him, and others were diving down from above as well. Storm Runner yanked the door open, bolted inside, and shut it, blocking it with a nearby chair. Outside, the Pegasus who had followed him peered in, his breath fogging the glass.

"Fleeing will be treated as an act of hostility. Surrender."

"Like hay I will!" Storm Runner growled, bucking the chair further into place and taking off towards the nearest entrance to the tunnels. The school's tunnel system had been in place since its time as a fortress, and they literally extended for miles into the mountain. Some said half-jokingly that the mountain was practically hollow. In the event of any sort of disaster, students were ordered to head into the tunnels and seal off exits once they were inside. Modern technology allowed radio communication between outside the tunnel doors and the occupants inside, and that was what Storm Runner relied on now. He raced into the cafeteria kitchen, bolting past the main hall, now fully exposed to the setting sun. Flames licked at the marble floor around his hooves, but Storm Runner did not dare change course. The Pegasi would be after him, he knew. The door to the tunnels was not more than fifty feet away, but as Storm Runner headed determinedly towards it, he stopped and dropped to the floor. There was a Pegasus standing near the door, gazing intently out over the kitchen. Distracting him wasn't an option; Storm would need at least a minute to speak to the ponies in the tunnels. He didn't want to think about his only option.

Regretting what he was about to do, Storm Runner gingerly grabbed the handle of a frying pan with his teeth and crept towards the Pegasus at the door. He'd have maybe five seconds to make this work.

"Hey ugly!" the hostile Pegasus turned around just in time to see a frying pan looming in front of his face. The kitchen implement collided squarely with the pony's face, knocking him out cold. The shock traveled up the handle and into Storm Runner's teeth, forcing him to drop the pan with a loud clang and rub his jaw. The others were surely on their way now. He ran to the door and pounded on it, yelling "it's Storm Runner! I'm stuck out here!"

"Storm Runner?" a voice came through, crackling over the radio near the door, "one moment."

A small plate on the door slid open and two eyes peered out. Then the plate shut with a speed that actually made Storm Runner jump. He could hear numerous latches being undone, until finally the door creaked open.

"Get in here now!"

Storm Runner didn't argue. He jumped in as the door closed behind him, and found himself face-to-face with the librarian, Crescent Star. The Unicorn was holding up an electric lantern and looked scared- yet a fire also burned in her eyes. It was then that Storm Runner realized the library had been located just above the main hall. There was nothing left of it now.

"Thank you, ma'am," Storm Runner panted, "things got pretty hairy out there."

"You're telling me," Crescent Star said, "when they blew up the main hall I raced down here and got as many ponies as I could. I think there are around two hundred of us here. Others are either out there, waiting to be captured, or…" she let the thought hang. Storm Runner understood.

"When I was out there, they were organizing something," he said. Crescent raised an eyebrow.

"Organizing something? What, exactly?"

"I don't know," Storm Runner admitted," but they're landing a few Unicorns on the roof, and I have a bad feeling this has something to do with the Nightmare Moon prophecy."

"So you think it's true?" Crescent asked.

"Doesn't matter if it is or isn't," Storm responded, "they think it's true, and we're prisoners here until they accomplish whatever it is they've set out to do."

Crescent kicked at the ground in frustration. Storm Runner could see that she clearly didn't enjoy being cooped up in the old caves, and decided to risk proposing his next idea based on his observations.

"There's a radio room upstairs, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Crescent said, "why do you ask?"

"Because if we do this right, we can throw a wrench in the Awakening's agenda and get a little payback if you're up for it."

Wincing, Crescent considered Storm Runner's words. School policy dictated that the ponies stay in the tunnels until the threat passed. However, if the Nightmare Moon threat was serious, staying here would mean putting perhaps all of Equestria in jeopardy. Thinking about her library, now in ruins, and the smoldering building above, Crescent Star made her choice.

"I'm with you," she said, "but we'll need volunteers. I'll see who I can round up."

"Right," Storm Runner said. As Crescent turned, Storm remembered something he'd meant to ask. "Er, Crescent? Can you check for a certain pony while you're away?"

"Certainly," Crescent said, "who is it?"

"Sun Blaze," Storm Runner answered, "I lost her after the blast."

"The silver Pegasus mare?" Crescent said, "yes, I know her. I'll let you know if I see her."

Sighing in relief, Storm Runner realized he could finally feel the effects of his race for safety. His legs and wings were burning, and his lungs felt like they would explode. Finally giving in, he fell against the wall and sank to the ground, resting his cheek against the cool mountain stone. His eyelids fluttered closed as fatigue set in. Just a moment's rest- that was all he would need…

…

"Storm Runner, wake your lazy flank up!"

Storm Runner shook himself out of his rest and found himself staring his Aviator Training School Commander, Dusk Shine, straight in the eyes. Needless to say, it wasn't exactly the wakeup he'd hoped for. Ignoring his protesting muscles completely, he stood up and snapped to attention. Dusk Shine chuckled.

"Relax, cadet," He turned to Crescent Star, "Ms. Crescent Star told me you're looking to disrupt whatever's going on topside, is this true?"

"Yes sir," Storm Runner answered, unlocking himself from the position of attention, but remaining mostly rigid.

"On the record, I'm inclined to say no, but off the record…" Dusk Shine paused, "off the record, Equestria's stability is on the line. Let's do this."

Behind Dusk Shine was a group of ponies; some were students, some cadets, but all shared one thing in common- the determination to retake their school and stop the Awakening. Storm Runner scanned them with his eyes, searching for the familiar fiery mane of Sun Blaze, but he saw nothing. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe-

Crescent Star approached, hanging her head, and Storm Runner felt a sinking feeling. He already knew what she was about to say.

"I couldn't find her," she confessed, "Sun Blaze wasn't down there, and… that means-"

"She's dead or unable to be contacted," Storm Runner finished, silently but with a sharp tone. The news, he found, did not surprise him, but it made the facts no less difficult to bear. His sorrow gave way to fiery rage; the ponies on the surface had not only attacked a school- they'd kidnapped one of his best friends as well. If the issue hadn't been personal before, it certainly was now. He shook his head slowly, bringing his eyes up to meet Dusk Shine's.

"Sir," he said finally, "let's go get some payback."

**Author's Note:**

**I feel like I need to apologize for forcing this chapter on you guys. It was done over the span of a month, and I honestly do not feel like it was my best effort, or even second best for that matter. I urge you all not to lose faith- I've picked up my writing style again and I can guarantee that the next chapter will be exponentially better.**


	14. Awakening: Part II

_Awakening, Part II_

Nimbus tightened his tie with his teeth and glanced down at his newly-polished hooves, checking himself over one last time for any imperfections. He certainly didn't enjoy uniform maintenance, but according to Polaris, even the most trifling of faults would stick out like a sore hoof in a crowd of ponies that had essentially made a career out of being perfectionists. If Nimbus wanted to be an Aviator, he'd said, he would have to look the part.

Behind him, Polaris was busy inspecting the back of his dress blues for lint. Evidently Nimbus's lint checks hadn't been thorough, because by the time his mentor finished going over his suit with a lint roller, the device was covered in hair and debris. Polaris chuckled as he tossed the roller over to a waiting attendant. "Like I said earlier, Nimbus, those ponies in there can tend to be unforgiving if you let the small details slip. Just remember to remain confident, and know that I'll be right here for support."

"Of course," Nimbus said, trying to look confident. The prospect of being among Equestria's best military fliers was humbling, however, and it wasn't something he'd be able to clear his mind of easily. He stiffened his legs and puffed his chest out a little as one of the Canterlot Guards approached him. The pony's polished gold armor caught the room's light in a dazzling display as he stopped in front of him.

"Cadet Nimbus and Professor Polaris, you may enter the Canterlot Palace Banquet Hall. Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," Nimbus replied as the guard opened one of the immense double doors in front of him. The light spilling out of the banquet hall was so thick it seemed concrete, like gold syrup spilling out of the crack between the two doors. Inside the hall, Aviators and a few of Equestria's upper crust were socializing. A few took notice of Nimbus as he entered, but nopony made a move.

"This is it," Polaris said, "I'm going to find Corona Flash and catch up on what he's been up to. You're welcome to join me, but don't feel like you have to stick around. This is your night. Mingle as you please!"

Nimbus was about to take Polaris up on his offer to join him; he'd only just met Corona, and the stallion seemed like a great guy. However, a gold flash out of the corner of his eye changed his mind.

"Actually, there's somepony I'd like to speak to first," Nimbus said, "I'll meet up with you later, when they bring the chow out."

Polaris nodded, "well, don't let me keep you waiting. Enjoy yourself- you've earned this."

Nimbus turned and headed towards a small table where a small group of Pegasi were conversing. He thought he saw the tip of a fire-orange mane in the group, but he couldn't tell for sure. His suspicions were confirmed, however, when he spotted the pony's familiar, unique dress uniform- the Wonderbolt Officer Uniform. He'd spotted Spitfire, of all ponies.

As he approached, the gold mare took notice. Speaking to a younger Wonderbolt cadet beside her (the Academy representative, Nimbus reasoned), she excused herself from the group and trotted over to Nimbus. The orange cadet snapped to rigid attention on instinct, eliciting a laugh from Spitfire.

"Please," she said, smiling, "at ease, cadet. This is a social gathering, not drill and ceremonies."

"Yes, ma'am," Nimbus said, slightly unlocking his legs. He was trying his best to keep his cool, but he was suddenly beginning to realize he'd never bothered to notice just how much decoration Spitfire's uniform bore. The clanking metal and bold ribbons were nothing if not intimidating, to say nothing of her status alone.

"Enjoying Canterlot tonight, Nimbus?" she asked, catching him off guard with her nonchalance.

"Er… yes, I am," Nimbus replied, "it's the first time I've been here, actually."

"First time to Equestria's capitol?" Spitfire remarked, "then this is quite the occasion. I assume this is quite a treat for you, then."

"To be honest, it's pretty intimidating," Nimbus admitted, "that's probably not the thing I should be saying right before a competition like this, but I can't help it. Big cities… there's something about them. I've grown up in a small town all my life."

"You'll get used to it, trust me," Spitfire said, taking a seat and snagging a golden-brown pastry from a passing cart. The Wonderbolt downed the treat in two wolfish bites, once again completely surprising Nimbus. Once the initial shock passed, however, he began to feel himself relaxing. If the pony who'd been his worst nightmare at the Academy was sitting here, talking to him like an equal, then why couldn't he do the same? Slowly, almost reluctantly, he leaned back in his seat and started munching on a few cheese cubes from a nearby snack table. He saw Spitfire smile faintly in approval and knew instantly he was doing the right thing. Spitfire's gaze shifted to a podium at the front and center of the banquet hall.

"Pay attention," she whispered to Nimbus as a guard took his place at the podium, "looks like we're due for some announcements."

The guard cleared his throat in a low, rumbling growl before speaking. When he did, he addressed the crowd of Aviators in a voice that carried a degree of power to it.

"Aviators and guests, it is of my utmost regret to inform you that the Honorable Princess Celestia will not be dining with you on this night. This is due to her previous commitment to attend the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville from midnight to tomorrow afternoon. That said, we will begin to serve our main course shortly. Please find your way to your assigned seats, which are labeled by name. That is all."

The guard stepped down and Nimbus turned to Spitfire. "Ma'am, I'm sorry we couldn't speak longer. It was a pleasure meeting you once again."

"The pleasure was mine," Spitfire said, standing up and turning towards her cadet. "Perhaps I'll see you later. Have a good night, Nimbus."

As the mare began to walk away, Nimbus caught one last detail that made his heart leap. Whether by design or simply circumstance, one of the pockets on Spitfire's dress blues uniform was undone.

_Interesting_, Nimbus thought, _if I didn't know any better, I'd call that sloppy uniform prepar-_ he froze. Had he seen a glint? Squinting, he made out a shape he knew well. In the pocket was a Wonderbolt pin- _his_Wonderbolt pin!

"You brought it with you," Nimbus mused, whispering to himself as he headed back towards Polaris. His chest was swelling with pride as he passed by other Aviators on his way to his mentor. There was no doubt in his mind now. In only a month, he would be an Aviator. Spitfire, too, had kept up her end of the deal. The pin was a sign that she had not forgotten the promise he'd made, and it made him all the happier to know she still cared about his future.

"Have a good talk?" Polaris asked as his student pulled up a chair and sat down across from Corona Flash.

"I did," Nimbus answered, "with Spitfire, in fact."

"Excellent," Polaris said, "Corona and I have been discussing his last few sorties."

"Not too interesting," Corona added quickly, noting the flash of interest in Nimbus's eyes, "mostly just keeping nosy Griffons away from trading vessels in international waters."

"Oh really?" Nimbus said, "what exactly are the Griffons up to?"

"Well, nothing much to be honest," Corona replied. "They just like to snoop around when they can. Usually if they get too close to the ships we'll send a squadron of Aviators up to intimidate them a bit. Odds are you'll end up getting stationed on the coast somewhere if this is still going on when you graduate."

"I guess it could be worse," Nimbus admitted, "we're not at war with them anymore."

Polaris chuckled, "no, we most certainly are not at war. I'd almost say the tension between our two nations is the highest it's ever been, though. What we really need is a cooperative project- something to come together on. They don't want another war, and we don't want one either. Then again, we want to appear strong. Take this business with the Awakening for example- how would we appear if Celestia simply gave in to those terrorists' demands? I tell you, Nimbus, don't ever go into politics. It's a world of headaches."

"I'll try to remember that," Nimbus remarked. At the head of the room, trays of food being pushed by ponies in suits were making their way towards the tables. Nimbus's mouth watered. The selection of dishes was mind-blowing. Polaris saw the stars in his student's eyes and chuckled.

"Eat up, Nimbus. This is ten times better than anything you'll have on campus."

Nimbus nodded, eyes wide. He certainly had no doubt that Polaris was right. The food was still far away, but the sheer scent of it was driving him nearly insane with anticipation. The trays were coming closer, but as they did, they began to slow as the ponies pushing them started to look questioningly towards the back of the room. Two guards were pushing the big double doors shut. When the doors closed with a thundering "bang," everypony in the room fell silent. There was something in the sound- such a finite but powerful accent- that the atmosphere had suddenly become much more serious. For a few moments, nopony said anything. Then, a yellow Unicorn ran out towards the podium from the front of the room, panting and eyes wide. He wore a bag over his back and flank, which, as Nimbus had learned earlier, indicated that he was a royal courier. The pony glanced frantically around, then stood at the microphone.

"Everypony, if I could just get your attention for a few moments, the Royal Guards have recommended that the banquet be postponed briefly. It's just some minor civil unrest outside the palace- should be under control shortly. Now if you would just follow the guards posted behind me, we'll move you farther into the castle. Thank you for your patience."

"What the hay?" Corona hissed, "food's here! What kind of unrest disrupts a banquet like this?"

"No clue," Nimbus said. Something was tugging at his subconscious, however. Something about tonight…

"Oh no," he mumbled. Surely it couldn't be possible. The Awakening had been quiet for the past month and a half after all… he'd almost forgotten about them and their promise to bring back Nightmare Moon. With dwindling activity, he'd been almost certain they'd disbanded.

_Hang on, Nimbus_, he thought, _you're getting ahead of yourself. It's probably a coincidence that this is happening on the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration. Yeah… just a really convenient coincidence…_

Polaris caught the worry in Nimbus's eyes as they both stood and headed towards the front of the room. "Something the matter?" he asked.

Nimbus shook himself from his thoughts. "No, it's- it's just…" he sighed, "I don't know, it's probably just a crazy coincidence, but remember when we talked about the Awakening?"

"I do indeed," Polaris said, nodding as he recalled the brief conversation they'd had on the subject.

"You still think Nightmare Moon doesn't stand much of a chance of coming back tonight?"

"I can't say for sure," Polaris sighed, "but now that you bring up the subject, whatever's going on out there is quite possibly Awakening-related. Good instincts, Nimbus."

"Thanks," Nimbus said as they left the banquet hall, transitioning to a windowed tunnel that led farther into the palace, "I'd rather my instincts be wrong right now, though."

Corona shook his head, "if it's really the Awakening that's behind this, it's probably just some protest or something. Nothing to worry ab-"

Corona stopped mid-sentence and craned his neck to look out a window as they walked by.

"What the hay?"

Outside several fully-armed guards were scrambling to their posts, while a flight of Aviators took off into the sky.

"If that's just unrest," Nimbus said, hesitantly, "than that is without a doubt the quickest response to a minor threat that I have ever seen."

Polaris was about to respond, when Corona suddenly yelled "down!" forcing Nimbus and Polaris to the floor just as several high-velocity electrically-charged air rounds blew out the window behind them. Nimbus could feel the displaced electricity as the rounds blew past his mane. These were the real deal- someone with REAF weaponry had fired on them.

"Move!"

At the front of the line, guards were hustling the Aviators through faster than before as more rounds lit up the sky with electricity.

"You were right, Nimbus," Polaris said, standing back up, "Celestia preserve us. I'm not letting those ponies get away without a good fight. I'm heading to the Armory. You two," he pointed to Corona Flash and Nimbus, "get to safety."

"No way," Corona said, "with all due respect, sir, you'll need a wingpony out there."

"Make it two," Nimbus said.

Polaris looked from Nimbus to Corona, and then back to Nimbus. "You two realize that this is a potential career-ender, right? You're disobeying a royal order by not following the rest to safety."

"But we also have the chance to support our guys out there," Nimbus said, "and who knows how widespread this thing is? We're coming with you."

Polaris looked around warily as other ponies rushed past. "Fine, follow me and keep your heads down. If we draw attention to ourselves, we're done."

Nimbus followed Polaris, with Corona tailing him as they snuck through the crowd, pushing past ponies as they walked back towards the banquet hall. To Nimbus's surprise, nopony tried to stop them. Perhaps they believed going back would be suicide, or perhaps there was simply such an air of confusion that nopony really cared where they were headed. Either way, they made it to the banquet hall and took off galloping towards a side door. Polaris yanked the door open and pushed Nimbus and Corona inside, shutting it. The room was pitch black, but as Nimbus's eyes adjusted, he could see a staircase.

"Armory's up there," Polaris said, trotting up the stairs, "come on."

Nimbus was panting, but he didn't dare show any signs of fatigue. This wasn't a simple training exercise at Practical Operations. This was real. He'd committed to seeing this through, and if he backed down now he would not only cast himself in a bad light; he'd be at greater risk for being caught disobeying orders. He pushed these thoughts out of his mind as they reached the top of the stairs, coming face-to-face with rows upon rows of weapons and armor, and in one corner…

"Flight suits," Nimbus said, identifying five grey TA-4B suits positioned near a corner, "and helmets. Let's go!"

The three ponies wasted no time in slipping into the form-fitting suits. Nimbus couldn't help but take the time to marvel at how well-maintained these were compared to the practice suits he and his classmates had worn at Operation Indigo a while back. The equipment functioned perfectly, the helmet's smooth surface was flawless, and the suit fit perfectly. As he adjusted his helmet, he noticed Corona giving Polaris a crash course in the use of the Heads-Up Display in the helmet.

"Just ignore all the green lines, sir," he said, "knowing you, you probably won't use half of them anyway."

"This is ridiculous," Polaris scoffed, "they spoil you Aviators these days, you know that?"

Nimbus chuckled as he finally reached the perfect fit for his helmet. "I'm good to go," he said.

"Comm check," Corona said, flipping down his visor.

"Flight callsign is Thunderbolt," Polaris announced over the radio, "Thunderbolt One, radio check."

"Loud and clear," Nimbus and Corona echoed, checking in themselves.

"Report outside for immediate launch," Polaris said. The ponies turned and headed for the door when it opened in front of them. Nimbus' s heart nearly stopped as he thought of how he could justify this. He was in one of Equestria's most technologically-advanced pieces of equipment, disobeying orders from the Crown. As far as he saw it, there was no way out of this. He cringed, waiting to be berated by a guard, but dropped his jaw in disbelief as Spitfire trotted into the room, holding up her hoof to her mouth in a "shushing" motion as she grabbed her own flight suit. Nimbus shook his head, breaking into a slight grin despite the circumstances. Then he closed his oxygen filter mask over his face and loaded his HUD, following Polaris and Corona up another set of stairs to the roof. Polaris looked back at the group, then nodded once.

"Thunderbolt Flight, Thunderbolt One- you two ready?"

Nimbus nodded, "Ready."

"Affirmative," Corona stated. Polaris lifted up a trapdoor at the top of the stairs, and the three ponies dashed up onto the roof. Nimbus had to duck as a Pegasus breezed by right over his head, pursuing another Pegasus with his CAL-2 blazing. At the palace gates, he could see guards in fierce battle with a few ponies wearing black, hooded robes. The dark ponies moved like the wind, nimbly darting around the guards' spears with ease.

"Engage the enemies at the gates," Polaris said, stretching his wings and launching into the sky.

Here we go, Nimbus thought, launching himself into the air. He was surprised to note that he could hear himself breathing heavily. He hadn't even been in the air long, but the stress was increasing by the second. It was still dawning on him that he would shortly be firing live rounds, and that the ponies on the other end of the rounds would be trying their hardest to kill him. He fell into formation beside Polaris and Corona, targeting the group of hooded ponies with his HUD. Time to target was only milliseconds. Nimbus let his first rounds fly through the air, crackling towards their targets as he and the other Pegasi swept over the enemy. Several rounds found their marks, striking enemies and causing them to spasm, keeling over in temporary paralysis. Nimbus winced. He knew about the effects of the rounds, but to see them in real life was something else entirely.

The Pegasi banked over the guards, who waved in appreciation before regrouping and manning their posts. Over the city of Canterlot, the city lights mixed with whizzing sparks of electric rounds as ponies battled in the skies. Down below, the ponies that hadn't already taken shelter were running for their lives in the streets. More robed ponies were either sweeping through the streets, starting fires and attacking guards, or galloping at full speed towards the city center. Nimbus followed Polaris as he turned away from the action briefly to make a radio call.

"Canterlot Air Defense, this is Thunderbolt Flight requesting sortie."

Moments later, a response crackled back over Nimbus's comms. "Thunderbolt, this is Canterlot. We do not recognize your callsign please state your intentions."

Nimbus gritted his teeth. The controller had seen right through their false callsign. Quick thinking on Polaris's part saved the day, however.

"We were assigned a temporary callsign in the wake of the attack," Polaris explained, "get us a sortie!"

"Sir, I am going to need more proof of who you are than that," the controller explained. Nimbus was so busy paying attention to the radio call, that he forgot to check his six o' clock.

"Thunderbolt Three, one on you!" Corona Flash called, breaking rapidly to the left to chase a pony Nimbus hadn't even realized was there. The pony managed to fire off a few rounds from his own CAL-2, several of which hit Nimbus. He fought for control of his muscles as the electric charges attempted to lock his wings up. Corona gave chase, following the pony towards the ground.

"Thanks, Two," Nimbus groaned, returning to controlled flight.

"Just keep your head on a swivel next time," Corona called as he maneuvered to match his target, "I don't want to be the one scraping you off the sidewalk after your wings seize." Polaris, meanwhile, was still in a heated argument with the controller.

"Listen, Sergeant," Polaris growled, "we are in a furball up here, and would really appreciate some sort of objective to organize ourselves."

"I'm a First Lieutenant, sir," the controller cut back in, sounding offended.

"Well you won't be for long if you can't at least give us a sitrep."*

Polaris's statement was met with brief static on the other end. Clearly, the controller was thinking things through. Finally he spoke. "Thunderbolt, assist with suppressing enemy air forces over the south sector of town. Expect to be monitored by Air Traffic Control. Squawk one zero five three."

"One zero five three," Polaris echoed, "thank you, Canterlot."

Nimbus automatically input the code Polaris had been given- a transponder code meant to identify friendlies from foes- into his suit's IFF system. Anypony not squawking the code was fair game. He breathed one more long breath afterwards; he'd almost bought it seconds ago. There would be no second chances. If he was to survive tonight, he'd have to be on top of his game. Below, Corona finished his target with a chain of direct impacts from his CAL-2. The pony's wings went rigid as he crashed into the streets below. Not even bothering to watch, Corona was back in the flight in seconds, inputting his squawk code.

"They have TA-4Bs, like us," Corona said, "jet black."

"Definitely the Awakening," Nimbus said, nodding. Polaris rolled slowly to the right, turning on course.

"You heard Canterlot, Thunderbolt Flight," the old Pegasus said over the radio, angling himself towards the city's south side, "no matter who these ponies are, we have our orders. Get your priorities straight and steel your nerves. We're hunters tonight."

Nimbus shook the last of his second thoughts free of his mind. Polaris was right- this was exactly what he'd known he might face after signing up for Aviator Training School. Now, after all of his achievements, struggles, and setbacks, it was all coming down to this night, here in the skies over Canterlot. Nimbus fixed his eyes dead ahead, taking in the black night illuminated by the city lights, mingling with crisscrossing streams of charged air rounds and the occasional sharpshooter's arrow and felt a strange calm wash over him.

It was finally time to prove he could succeed.


End file.
